Reliving top 5 Rangers hitting performances
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All five of the Rangers' best single-game hitting performances came within a six-year span between 2007-12, and not many are shockers.
Josh Hamilton’s 5-for-5 night in 2012 is the gold standard for Rangers hitting performances, but who falls directly behind him in the ranks? Here are five of the best single-game hitting performances in franchise history:
1. Josh Hamilton (May 8, 2012)
Hamilton tied a Major League record with four home runs in a 10-3 victory over the Cardinals at Camden Yards. All four were two-run home runs with Elvis Andrus on first base each time. Hamilton just missed being the first player with five. He went 5-for-5 in the game with a fifth-inning double. The 18 total bases for one game tied an American League record. Hamilton was the 16th player to accomplish the feat although it has been done twice since then.
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2. Nelson Cruz (Oct. 10, 2011)
Cruz was the MVP of the AL Championship Series, and his Game 2 performance was the most crucial of all against the Tigers. The Rangers trailed, 3-2, going into the bottom of the seventh before Cruz tied the game with a home run off Max Scherzer. Then Cruz made MLB history, hitting the first walk-off postseason grand slam after taking Ryan Perry deep in the 11th inning.
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3. Ian Kinsler (April 15, 2009)
The Rangers have had 10 players hit for the cycle, but Kinsler had a day to remember on Jackie Robinson Day in Arlington. He went 6-for-6 with two doubles, a triple and a home run in a 19-6 win over the Orioles. Kinsler scored five runs and drove in four from the leadoff spot. Kinsler was the first player since 1900 to have six hits while hitting for the cycle.
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4. Adrian Beltré (Oct. 4, 2011)
Beltré hit three home runs, and the Rangers clinched the AL Division Series with a 4-3 victory over the Rays at Tropicana Field. Beltré hit two home runs off Rays starter Jeremy Hellickson and one off reliever Matt Moore in the seventh inning, which ended up being the difference.
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5. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Ramón Vázquez (Aug. 22, 2007)
The Rangers led the Orioles, 5-3, after five innings. Then they scored 25 runs in the final four innings for a stunning 30-3 victory. The Rangers had 29 hits, but the two who stood out were Saltalamacchia and Vázquez at the bottom of the order. They each had four hits, including two home runs, and seven RBIs. Travis Metcalf and Marlon Byrd both hit grand slams.