Here's the deal ... the Texas Rangers superstar was trying to claw his team back from down 3-1 against the Phils in the eighth inning at Citizens Bank Park -- when he launched a ball deep into right field.

As it came crashing down toward the stands, initially, it looked like it ricocheted off some railing ... leaving him with merely a double.

But, replays showed it actually hit a woman's tray of cheesy chips before landing on the stadium's rails ... making it a home run -- and an embarrassing moment to say the least for the Phils supporter.

Check out the footage, instead of ditching the food and attempting to make the barehand grab, the woman used her plastic container full of goods to try to catch it -- creating a massive mess on the ballpark's warning track.

The game's announcers had a ton of fun watching it all back -- with one noting the umpires should have simply checked the ball for cheese to know if it was a dinger!!

The Rangers, though, still ended up losing despite the solo shot -- falling 5-2.