Article:Home Runs of May 16, 2008

Who’s the Better Team from Texas?
Thirty-two thousand people packed the Ballpark in Arlington on this night. It was the first game of a series between the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers. That is right, was an interleague battle for the heart of Texas, it was a battle between the two biggest stars in each league in Josh Hamilton (Rangers) and Lance Berkman (Astros), and a battle between two of the bigger surprise teams in the league so far.

The Rangers start off the scoring having three (unearned) runs cross the plate in the first off Astros pitcher Shawn Chacon. The Astros would respond with a couple runs of their own in the second inning: back-to-back doubles, followed by a few ground outs, eventually having two runners cross the plate. Josh Hamilton added a solo shot for the Rangers in the third inning, giving his team a 4-2 lead headed into the fourth inning...

The state of Texas then spent some time on their feet as each team exploded offensively. The Rangers added 4 runs in the bottom off the 4th inning. Jarrod Saltalamacchia drove one out for a solo home run, which was his first of the season, and Josh Hamilton added three more runs with a long three-run blast into the right field seats for his second home run of the game. Shawn Chacon's night was over at that point and so was the Rangers scoring… well, for that inning at least.

Then, Rangers pitcher Sidney Ponson decided a six run lead was too comfortable. These fans wanted a close, intense game. So after a Ty Wigginton single, Ponson commits his own error, allowing Michael Bourn to reach base. Ponson follows up this act with a wild pitch, allowing runners to advance. Two ground-outs, three singles, and a Miguel Tejada double later, Darin Erstad walks to the plate...

Runners are on first and second. Erstad yanks it down the left field line. Brandon Boggs hustles getting the ball in, but Carlos Lee attempts to score all the way from first. Relay man Michael Young makes a solid throw home, cutting down Lee at the plate and stopping the bleeding...

The Astros would add one more run in the sixth inning off a Kaz Matsui RBI single, making this a brand new ball game. The score was eight to eight until the Rangers came up to bat in the bottom of the seventh. With two outs, Ian Kinsler would steal second base. He would then score on a Michael Young single. Josh Hamilton would continue his big night by legging out a RBI triple; his fifth RBI of the night...

The Rangers then broke the game open again in the bottom of the eighth inning. David Murphy and Chris Shelton each went deep with the bases empty, Michael Young knocked in two with a home run of his own, and Ian Kinsler continued his amazing season by legging out a triple. Six runs would score in the inning...

The score was tied after six innings until the Rangers added on eight more runs. Turns out, that is many more runs then they would need. Pitchers Jamey Wright, Joaquin Benoit, and Doug Mathis would combine to get the last nine outs of the game while facing only eight batters (Wright inherited a runner on first base in the seventh inning). The Rangers showed off their big bats, as one Wright beat the other Wright...

Homer of the Day (May 15, 2008)
And the Homer of the Day for May 15, 2008 goes to...

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On Another Matter:
Thanks to everyone who has been voting, especially those who have since the very beginning (you know who you are). Like I said, the more votes we have in these articles, the better. It makes it more interesting, and makes me feel better when I post these articles.

Thanks so much to Falcon for summarizing the game between the Rangers and the Astros. I really appreciate his help in an effort for me to catch up so I can actually talk about some games that you fellas remember.

I hope you’re enjoying these articles as much as I like finding more about what has happened over a month ago!