Rangers crush Orioles 30-3 in AL contest
BALTIMORE, Maryland: Rookie Jarrod Saltalamacchia and the Texas Rangers did something that hadn't been done in more than 110 years Wednesday as they pounded the Baltimore Orioes 30-3.
Saltalamacchia had four hits - including two homers - and drove in seven runs as the Rangers set a modern-day major league record for runs in embarrassing the Orioles.
Ramon Vazquez hit two three-run homers and also had seven RBI, and Marlon Byrd and Travis Metcalf each belted a grand slam for Texas, which posted franchise highs of 30 runs and 29 hits while recording four innings of five or more runs.
"I've never been in a game like that in my life," Saltalamacchia said. "That was ridiculous. If we could do that in every game, that would be pretty good. It was just one of those things. We were seeing the ball tonight, hitting the ball. Nothing you can really say about it, just amazing."
The run output was the most in the majors this season, and the most in a game since June 29, 1897, when the National League's Chicago Colts set the all-time record with a 36-7 victory over the Louisville Colonels.
The previous high this season was 21 runs by the New York Yankees against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on July 22. It was 16 more than the previous season mark for the Rangers, who had tallied 14 runs three times.
It was also a striking difference for Texas, which had scored a total of 28 runs in its previous nine contests.
"It really was awesome watching our offense come to life," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "I was hoping we'd open up, but I wasn't expecting anything like this."
The 30 runs were the most the Orioles have ever surrendered, surpassing the 26 it gave up against the Rangers at Arlington Stadium on April 19, 1996.
It was the most runs ever scored by a team in an American League game, with the previous high of 29 reached by the Boston Red Sox in 1950 and the Chicago White Sox five years later.
It was also just the second time in 50 years that four teammates drove in at least four runs in a contest.
Pete Rose, Mike Schmidt and Garry Maddox each drove in four and Bob Boone plated five for the Philadelphia Phillies in a 23-22 victory against the Chicago Cubs on May 17, 1979.
AFP
(China Daily 08/24/2007 page23)
