Article:Home Runs of April 23, 2008

{|!Batter!Team (B)!Inning!Pitcher!Team (P)!Situation |- |Gary Matthews Jr. (3) |Angels |1st |Jon Lester (4) |Red Sox |0 on, 1 out, 0-0 |- |Gary Matthews Jr. (4) |Angels |5th |Jon Lester (5) |Red Sox |0 on, 0 out, 3-2 |- |Casey Kotchman (6) |Angels |6th |Craig Hansen (1) |Red Sox |0 on, 2 out, 4-4 |- |David Ortiz (3) |Red Sox |5th |Jon Garland (4) |Angels |1 on, 1 out, 2-4 |- |Hanley Ramirez (7) |Marlins |1st |Jeff Bennett (2) |Braves |0 on, 0 out, 0-0 |- |Mike Jacobs (7) |Marlins |1st |Jeff Bennett (3) |Braves |1 on, 2 out, 1-0 |- |Matt Diaz (2) |Braves |2nd |Andrew Miller (3) |Marlins |0 on, 0 out, 1-3 |- |Jason Bay (4) |Pirates |5th |Todd Wellemeyer (6) |Cardinals |1 on, 1 out, 2-4 |- |Jacque Jones (1) |Tigers |3rd |Frank Francisco (1) |Rangers |0 on, 1 out, 5-5 |- |Miguel Cabrera (5) |Tigers |6th |Jamey Wright (1) |Rangers |2 on, 1 out, 9-6 |- |Edwin Encarnacion (6) |Reds |1st |Chris Sampson (1) |Astros |0 on, 2 out, 0-0 |- |Ken Griffey Jr. (4) |Reds |9th |Geoff Geary (1) |Astros |0 on, 0 out, 2-9 |- |Matt Stairs (2) |Blue Jays |2nd |Jason Hammel (2) |Rays |0 on, 0 out, 0-0 |- |Matt Stairs (3) |Blue Jays |6th |Jason Hammel (3) |Rays |1 on, 0 out, 1-0 |- |Chase Utley (10) |Phillies |3rd |Dave Bush (2) |Brewers |0 on, 2 out, 0-3 |- |Greg Dobbs (2) |Phillies |5th |Dave Bush (3) |Brewers |1 on, 1 out, 1-3 |- |Pat Burrell (8) |Phillies |6th |Dave Bush (4) |Brewers |0 on, 0 out, 3-3 |- |Prince Fielder (2) |Brewers |1st |Cole Hamels (2) |Phillies |1 on, 1 out, 1-0 |- |Prince Fielder (3) |Brewers |8th |Cole Hamels (3) |Phillies |1 on, 0 out, 3-4 |- |Joe Crede (6) |White Sox |5th |Mike Mussina (6) |Yankees |0 on, 1 out, 0-3 |- |Carlos Quentin (5) |White Sox |7th |Mike Mussina (7) |Yankees |0 on, 2 out, 1-6 |- |Geovany Soto (3) |Cubs |2nd |Franklin Morales (2) |Rockies |0 on, 2 out, 1-0 |- |Aramis Ramirez (6) |Cubs |9th |Manny Corpas (2) |Rockies |1 on, 1 out, 4-5 |- |Clint Barmes (2) |Rockies |6th |Rich Hill (2) |Cubs |0 on, 0 out, 0-3 |- |Troy Tulowitzki (1) |Rockies |6th |Jon Lieber (2) |Cubs |2 on, 1 out, 2-3 |- |Mike Sweeney (1) |Athletics |8th |Matt Guerrier (2) |Twins |0 on, 1 out, 2-0 |- |Bengie Molina (3) |Giants |9th |Trevor Hoffman (2) |Padres |0 on, 1 out, 0-1 |- |Stephen Drew (3) |Diamondbacks |5th |Derek Lowe (2) |Dodgers |0 on, 1 out, 0-3 |- |Nick Markakis (4) |Orioles |8th |Ryan Rowland-Smith (1) |Mariners |0 on, 1 out, 2-2 |}

''For the people who have not been introduced to the "Home Runs of the Day" yet, let me just clarify a couple of things: * The "situation part" (the part that states the score) is the score after the home run is it. ** And, on a second note, the first part of the score is the score of the home run hitter's team. The second number represents the opponent's team.''

Unexpected Guy with Multihomer Game
When was the last time you heard anyone say "Did you see that game last night where Matt Stairs hit 2 homers? Probably not. The last time he hit 2 home runs in a game was on July 14, 2005 while playing for the Kansas City Royals. The 40-year-old outfielder was responsible for all 3 runs driven in by the Toronto Blue Jays that day. It wasn't enough though, as the Tampa Bay Rays were able to score 5 runs of their own, as the Rays defeated the Jays 5-3.

Hoffman Blows it Again
Greg Maddux was looking for his 350th career win on the 23rd against the San Francisco Giants. The future Hall of Famer knew he had to bring his A game if he wanted to succeed, and boy, did he bring it. Mad-Dawg pitched a gem, surrendering only 4 hits, no runs scored, and no walks issued in 7 innings  and only 75 pitches. It was a 1-0 lead until the 9th inning, when another future Hall of Famer, Trevor Hoffman, was on the mound. With two outs away from the game being over and Maddux's 350th win "in the books", Hoffman delivered a pitch to Bengie Molina that went over the wall for a 2 run homer, which tied the game at 1. The Giants eventually won the game in extra innings, 3-2.

Hoffman now has 2 blown saves and 2 losses, and it's only the last week of April. It's not looking too good for San Diego's bullpen right now, as they've now lost their third game in extra innings, which is tied for second most in the MLB; the Colorado Rockies have 4 extra inning losses.

Cubs Win 10 Grand
What a way to win their 10,000th game: an exciting extra inning victory against the defending NL champions, the Colorado Rockies. 4 home runs were hit (two by each team), but probably the most exciting one came in the ninth inning. Manny Corpas blew his fourth save, giving up a 2 run homer to Aramis Ramirez, making it a 6-5 ballgame. The Cubs would go on to win it 7-6 in extra frames after a Ryan Theriot single with men on second and first, becoming the second MLB franchise to win 10,000 games.

On a side note, Troy Tulowitzki hit his first homer of the season. Will he get out of the slump he has been going through for this past month? We'll find out sooner or later.

''Remember, you can always have the privilage to cast a vote for the "Homer of the Day" in the comments section down below. Feel free to discuss who should win today or who should've won yesterday, or what I could've done to make the article better.''

Homer of the Day (April 21, 2008)
No one yet. I gotta get caught up on the rest of the "Homers of the Day". I never knew this would be such hard work.

On Another Matter:
In case you missed it, I typed up something for the winner (yes, they are officially winner) of the "Homer of the Day" for April 15. Feel free to check it out and comment.

'''Also, I haven't been getting any feedback on this (I've gotten 1 or 2 comments about this) what do you guys think if I put the players in alphabetical order? What about inning by inning? Or do you guys like it just the way it is? I'd appreciate it if you guys could give me feedback on what I should do. Thanks in advance.'''