Hamilton hits four two-run HRS
RANGERS 10, ORIOLES 3
BALTIMORE — Moments before his final swing in a four-home run performance, Josh Hamilton stepped to the plate in the eighth inning with a surprising sense of calm.
The Texas Rangers slugger had never hit more than two home runs in a game, and he already had three. So as he took his place in the batter’s box against Baltimore right-hander Darren O’day, Hamilton already had a feeling of accomplishment.
“I just went up like it was any other at-bat,” Hamilton said, “because if I don’t hit one, I’ve still had a really good night.”
It turned out to be unforgettable.
Hamilton became the 16th player to hit four home runs in a game, launching four two-run drives against three pitchers to carry the Rangers to a 10-3 victory Tuesday.
Hamilton homered off Jake Arrieta in the first and third innings, added another off Zach Phillips in the seventh and topped it off with a shot against O’day. During the last at-bat, Hamilton took a hard hack and missed, lined a foul into the right-field seats and then sent an 02 pitch over the center-field wall.
“Obviously it’s, other than being in the World Series, the highlight of my big-league career,” Hamilton said. “I was saying after I hit two I’ve never hit three in a game before, and what a blessing that was. Then to hit four is just an awesome feeling, to see how excited my teammates got.
“It reminds you of when you’re in Little League and a little kid, and just the excitement and why we play the game. Things like that. You never know what can happen. It was just an absolute blessing.”
Hamilton also doubled in the fifth inning. His 18 total bases is a single-game American League record, and his eight RBI are a career high.
“Amazing,” Rangers Manager Ron Washington said. “Josh came out tonight and he wasn’t going to be denied.”
The last player to hit four home runs in a game was Carlos Delgado on Sept. 25, 2003, for Toronto against Tampa Bay. Two of the 16 players to hit four home runs in a game did it before 1900.
“It’s like anything else. You do something good or something incredible happens, it takes a little bit for it to sink in,” Hamilton said. “I think when I get away from everybody and I have some time to myself, I think it might then.”
Hamilton is the sixth AL player to perform the feat. The last to hit four home runs in a game against the Orioles was Rocky Colavito in 1959 at old Memorial Stadium.
“He’s the best athlete in baseball,” teammate Nelson Cruz said of Hamilton. “If anybody can do it, he can do it.”
Hamilton, who is in the final year of his contract and could become a free agent after this season, leads
the AL with 14 home runs and 36 RBI, and his 5-for-5 effort raised his batting average to .406.
He also set the Texas single-game club record with five extra-base hits, breaking the mark of four held by eight players. Hamilton has homered in five of his past six at-bats, counting his final trip to the plate Monday night.
Hamilton’s record-setting night is the latest accomplishment in a career that almost never was.
He went from first round draft pick in 1999 by Tampa Bay to out of baseball all together because of drug and alcohol addiction.
He recovered and returned to the majors in 2007 with Cincinnati, and was traded to the Texas, where he has become a star — and the AL MVP in 2010 — while still battling his addiction. He had a relapse before this season but is off to a torrid start.
Major league baseball
“Understanding that what I’m doing and what God’s allowed me to do coming back from everything I went through and allowing me to play the game at the level I play it, it’s pretty amazing to think about,” Hamilton said.
Adrian Beltre also homered for the Rangers. Coming off a 14-3 victory in the series opener, Texas has won two consecutive for the first time since April 24-25 and are 2010, their best-ever record after 30 games.
Dating to last season, Texas has won seven in a row over Baltimore by a combined 70-18 score.
Rangers starter Neftali Feliz (2-1) gave up 1 run on 4 hits and had a career-high 8 strikeouts.
The Orioles entered the series with the best record in the majors after a 5-1 trip through Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park, but they have looked more like a team with 14 consecutive losing seasons in these two games against the two-time defending AL champions.
Arrieta (2-3) allowed 6 runs and
1 9 hits in 6 ⁄ innings. He yielded a career-high
3 three home runs, matching the total he surrendered in his first six starts this season.
His most notable flaw was his inability to keep Hamilton from hitting the ball out of the park.
“It was the first time I’ve ever seen anything like that. Very special hitter,” Arrieta said. “He didn’t miss tonight.” ROYALS 6, RED SOX 4 Billy Butler hit a three-run home run in the eighth inning, giving host Kansas City a victory over Boston. Chris Getz and Humberto Quintero also drove in runs for the Royals. TWINS 5, ANGELS 0 Scott Diamond pitched a career-best seven scoreless innings in his season debut and Ryan Doumit hit a two-run home run, giving host Minnesota a victory over Los Angeles. WHITE SOX 5, INDIANS 3 Alex Rios tripled home the go-ahead run in the 10th inning and visiting Chicago beat Cleveland. YANKEES 5, RAYS 3 David Robertson struck out Carlos Pena with the bases loaded to end a rocky ninth inning in his first save chance since Mariano Rivera’s season-ending knee injury, helping host New York end a seven-game skid against Tampa Bay.
National League
ASTROS 3, MARLINS 2 Pinch-hitter Brian Bogusevic hit an eighth-inning RBI double and host Houston ended Miami’s season-long sevengame winning streak. The game was tied at 2-2 when Travis Buck singled with two outs before Bogusevic’s hit off Ryan Webb (1-1) to the corner of left field, which a leaping Logan Morrison just missed, sent Buck home. BRAVES 3, CUBS 1 Dan Uggla hit a tiebreaking two-run single in the eighth inning and visiting Atlanta beat Chicago. Michael Bourn reached on a leadoff single and Kerry Wood issued two walks before Uggla drove a 1-1 pitch back up the middle for his third hit of the game. Freddie Freeman helped set up the big inning by hustling down the line to prevent a potential double play. BREWERS 8, REDS 3 Aramis Ramirez hit a three-run triple, helping host Milwaukee shake off their recent offensive struggles in a victory over Cincinnati. CARDINALS 6, DIAMONDBACKS 1 Carlos Beltran homered in his first two at-bats, including a grand slam, matching his career high with six RBI, and visiting St. Louis beat Arizona. Beltran hit a two-run home run off Ian Kennedy (3-2) in the first, then cleared the bases with a shot into the swimming pool area in right-center in the seconds, his 10th career grand slam. METS 7, PHILLIES 4 Lucas Duda had a tiebreaking, two-out RBI single in the seventh and visiting New York defeated Philadelphia. Duda and David Wright had two hits and two RBI each to help the Mets win their fourth in a row. PIRATES 5, NATIONALS 4 Rod Barajas hit a two-run home run off Washington closer Henry Rodriguez with two outs in the ninth to lift host Pittsburgh to a victory.