A New Record!
Who would have thought that we would ever see the Rangers set any kind of baseball record (well, except for maybe bad ones)? But to score 30 points, a feat which has not been done in baseball in over 100 years, is incredible! Congratulations Rangers! You're doing just enough to keep me hanging on...
Who would have thought that we would ever see the Rangers set any kind of baseball record (well, except for maybe bad ones)? But to score 30 points, a feat which has not been done in baseball in over 100 years, is incredible! Congratulations Rangers! You're doing just enough to keep me hanging on...
BALTIMORE -- Through baseball's storied past, things seem to happen every so often that are borderline unexplainable, that only numbers can put into perspective, and that leave even the most well-spoken players speechless.
"We were just out there shaking our heads," center field Marlon Byrd said. "No one has seen that before and you won't see it again."
Texas scored 30 runs in a 30-3 drubbing of the Orioles on Wednesday, the most ever by an American League team and second to only to the Chicago Colts' 36-run performance in 1897.
Both Texas and Baltimore set new franchise records for runs scored and runs allowed, respectively, and the Rangers also set a new all-time mark with 29 hits in the game.
"It was great to be a part of," said third baseman Travis Metcalf, who was called up from Triple-A Oklahoma before the game. "It was amazing in capital letters."
The ridiculous numbers posted by the Texas lineup are almost unbelievable. Metcalf and Byrd both hit grand slams to mark just the second time in franchise history the team has hit two in the same game, and the Rangers finished with six home runs. Every Rangers' starter had at least one hit and scored at least one run, and eight of the nine ended up with at least one RBI.
Both the eighth and ninth hitters in the order, infielder Ramon Vazquez and catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, notched two homers and seven RBIs. The last time two players had seven RBIs in the same game was when the New York Yankees faced the Kansas City A's in 1962, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The two batters? Yankee greats Elston Howard and Mickey Mantle.
"It was unbelievable," Saltalamacchia said. "That was ridiculous. I've never been in a game like that in my life. It was one of those things. We were just seeing the ball and hitting the ball. You can't help but laugh. It's nothing they did. It's not like they made a lot of errors. It was just ridiculous. Everybody is going to remember it."
For the Orioles, the numbers game wasn't as fun. Reliever Brian Burres couldn't even finish one inning, as he surrendered eight runs on eight hits and saw his ERA jump from 4.45 to 5.24. Paul Shuey was beckoned to finish the game, and Texas continued its pounding. He threw two innings and gave up nine runs to watch his ERA skyrocket from 6.75 to 9.49.
"You have to have a real short memory and you let it go," Baltimore manager Dave Trembley said after the rout.
For Baltimore fans, however, the loss isn't as easily forgettable. Dave Murray, 72, has been a season ticket holder for more than 20 years, and said he goes to about 65 Orioles games every season. He keeps meticulous scorecards for each one, but said he's hanging onto his sheet commemorating Wednesday's game.
"It's unbelievable," Murray said from his perch 18 rows behind home plate. "I come every night, and just about every night I see something different. But this was crazy."
To add to the rarity of the occurrence, after a 30-minute hiatus in their respective clubhouses, the teams had to return to the field, as the 30-3 contest was the first game of a doubleheader.
The Rangers' previous record for runs scored in both games of a twin bill was 21, which, of course, they didn't need to worry about by the time the second game rolled around.
"It was awesome," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "The whole offense just came to life. I've never seen anything like it. I was hoping we would open up offensively, but I wasn't expecting anything like that."
To make sure the magnitude of Wednesday's record-breaking explosion hits home, peruse these staggering statistics:
• The Orioles' National Football League counterpart, the Ravens, haven't given up 30 points in a game since 2005.
• Baltimore ace Erik Bedard has allowed only 31 runs in his last 17 starts dating back to May 25.
• Texas scored more runs Wednesday than it had in its previous nine contests combined.
• Baltimore set a new franchise record for margin of defeat by ending in a 27-run deficit. The previous mark was a 19-run defeat in 1996, also at the hands of the Rangers.
• Even with a huge margin of victory, Wes Littleton earned his first save of the season by throwing three innings in relief.
• Texas starter Kason Gabbard, who pitched his fifth game with the Rangers after being traded from Boston before the trade deadline, saw his run support jump from 3.66 to 7.85 with his new team.
• The Rangers entered the game with the third-worst team batting average in the American League, but saw it jump five points to .258.
• The NFL's Houston Texans have scored at least 30 points only three times in the team's five-year existence.
• Texas had 57 at-bats, tying the AL record for a nine-inning game set by Milwaukee in 1992.
• The Rangers are the first team with four players (Metcalf, Byrd, Saltalamacchia and Vazquez) to register four RBIs since the Phillies in 1979.
• This is the sixth time that a team has scored 9 or more runs in two different innings
• Metcalf's four RBIs were more than he had in 35 games this season
• Texas' 30 RBIs set the Major League record for a single game since 1920, when that statistic was first recorded.
"We were just out there shaking our heads," center field Marlon Byrd said. "No one has seen that before and you won't see it again."
Texas scored 30 runs in a 30-3 drubbing of the Orioles on Wednesday, the most ever by an American League team and second to only to the Chicago Colts' 36-run performance in 1897.
Both Texas and Baltimore set new franchise records for runs scored and runs allowed, respectively, and the Rangers also set a new all-time mark with 29 hits in the game.
"It was great to be a part of," said third baseman Travis Metcalf, who was called up from Triple-A Oklahoma before the game. "It was amazing in capital letters."
The ridiculous numbers posted by the Texas lineup are almost unbelievable. Metcalf and Byrd both hit grand slams to mark just the second time in franchise history the team has hit two in the same game, and the Rangers finished with six home runs. Every Rangers' starter had at least one hit and scored at least one run, and eight of the nine ended up with at least one RBI.
Both the eighth and ninth hitters in the order, infielder Ramon Vazquez and catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, notched two homers and seven RBIs. The last time two players had seven RBIs in the same game was when the New York Yankees faced the Kansas City A's in 1962, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The two batters? Yankee greats Elston Howard and Mickey Mantle.
"It was unbelievable," Saltalamacchia said. "That was ridiculous. I've never been in a game like that in my life. It was one of those things. We were just seeing the ball and hitting the ball. You can't help but laugh. It's nothing they did. It's not like they made a lot of errors. It was just ridiculous. Everybody is going to remember it."
For the Orioles, the numbers game wasn't as fun. Reliever Brian Burres couldn't even finish one inning, as he surrendered eight runs on eight hits and saw his ERA jump from 4.45 to 5.24. Paul Shuey was beckoned to finish the game, and Texas continued its pounding. He threw two innings and gave up nine runs to watch his ERA skyrocket from 6.75 to 9.49.
"You have to have a real short memory and you let it go," Baltimore manager Dave Trembley said after the rout.
For Baltimore fans, however, the loss isn't as easily forgettable. Dave Murray, 72, has been a season ticket holder for more than 20 years, and said he goes to about 65 Orioles games every season. He keeps meticulous scorecards for each one, but said he's hanging onto his sheet commemorating Wednesday's game.
"It's unbelievable," Murray said from his perch 18 rows behind home plate. "I come every night, and just about every night I see something different. But this was crazy."
To add to the rarity of the occurrence, after a 30-minute hiatus in their respective clubhouses, the teams had to return to the field, as the 30-3 contest was the first game of a doubleheader.
The Rangers' previous record for runs scored in both games of a twin bill was 21, which, of course, they didn't need to worry about by the time the second game rolled around.
"It was awesome," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "The whole offense just came to life. I've never seen anything like it. I was hoping we would open up offensively, but I wasn't expecting anything like that."
To make sure the magnitude of Wednesday's record-breaking explosion hits home, peruse these staggering statistics:
• The Orioles' National Football League counterpart, the Ravens, haven't given up 30 points in a game since 2005.
• Baltimore ace Erik Bedard has allowed only 31 runs in his last 17 starts dating back to May 25.
• Texas scored more runs Wednesday than it had in its previous nine contests combined.
• Baltimore set a new franchise record for margin of defeat by ending in a 27-run deficit. The previous mark was a 19-run defeat in 1996, also at the hands of the Rangers.
• Even with a huge margin of victory, Wes Littleton earned his first save of the season by throwing three innings in relief.
• Texas starter Kason Gabbard, who pitched his fifth game with the Rangers after being traded from Boston before the trade deadline, saw his run support jump from 3.66 to 7.85 with his new team.
• The Rangers entered the game with the third-worst team batting average in the American League, but saw it jump five points to .258.
• The NFL's Houston Texans have scored at least 30 points only three times in the team's five-year existence.
• Texas had 57 at-bats, tying the AL record for a nine-inning game set by Milwaukee in 1992.
• The Rangers are the first team with four players (Metcalf, Byrd, Saltalamacchia and Vazquez) to register four RBIs since the Phillies in 1979.
• This is the sixth time that a team has scored 9 or more runs in two different innings
• Metcalf's four RBIs were more than he had in 35 games this season
• Texas' 30 RBIs set the Major League record for a single game since 1920, when that statistic was first recorded.
Geremy Bass is an associate reporter for MLB.com.
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1 comment:
Maybe it had nothing to do with the rangers, but everything to do with how bad the orioles are :o)
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