A different guy.

“With very rare exceptions,” Michael Young told Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, “all the truly great players are similar in that their work ethics are off the chart and they want to be great.”

He was talking to Wilson about his former Phillies teammate Cole Hamels, shortly after the trade that brought the lefthander to Texas in late July.

“On the days he was pitching, it was game on at 7:00. It was Cole’s show. He became a different guy. All he wants to do is compete.”

Last night was the first time in Hamels’s nine Texas starts that he took the ball following a Rangers loss.

He made sure Derek Holland wouldn’t have to do that today.

The Rangers have now won seven straight games in which Cole Hamels took the ball.

Only five other pitchers in club history have had a game of zero walks and at least 12 strikeouts, like Hamels did last night.

None of Yu Darvish’s three games in that category or Nolan Ryan’s two or Cliff Lee’s one or Bobby Witt’s or Matt Perisho’s took place as late in the season with as much on the line.

It might have been a shutout if the 1-2 pitch to Franklin Gutierrez in the second inning (pitch “4”) was properly called.

Hamels buckled down after a Seattle run.

Hamels buckled down after a Rangers loss.

This is the pitcher they traded a ton of young talent for.

And that is why they did it.