June 17, 2009: The Texas Rangers beat their cross-State, then-Interleague rivals, the Houston Astros, 5-4 at Rangers Ballpark (now Choctaw Stadium) in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas. David Murphy singled Ian Kinsler home with the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning.
For the Rangers, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Nelson Cruz hit home runs. For the Astros, Hunter Pence went 4-for-5 with a home run and 4 RBIs, and Carlos Lee also homered.
Iván Rodríguez, a Rangers legend, played for the Astros in this game, going 1-for-5. It was his 2,227th game at the position of catcher, setting a new major league record. He surpassed the total of 2,226 set from 1969 to 1993 by Carlton Fisk. Like Fisk, Rodríguez was nicknamed "Pudge." Unlike Fisk, however -- he was a Boston Red Sock, but not of the 21st Century -- Rodríguez has long been suspected of steroid use.
Fisk actually played longer, 13 seasons to 11, with the Chicago White Sox, who released him the day after his 2,226th game as a catcher. By 1 game, he surpassed the old record, set from 1972 to 1990 by Bob Boone.
Rodríguez reached the postseason with the Rangers in 1996, '98 and '99; in 2003 with the Florida Marlins, winning the World Series; and 2006 with the Detroit Tigers, winning the American League Pennant. He was named the AL's Most Valuable Player in 1999. He finished his career with 2,844 hits, including 311 home runs, 14 All-Star Game berths, 13 Gold Gloves, and 2,427 games as a catcher. Fisk and Boone remain 2nd and 3rd on the all-time list.
*
June 17, 2009 was a Wednesday. These other Major League Baseball games were played:
* The New York Yankees lost to the Washington Nationals, 3-2 at the new Yankee Stadium. John Lannan outpitched Chien-Ming Wang. Adam Dunn hit a home run. For the Yankees, Robinson Canó and Johnny Damon hit home runs. Alex Rodriguez went 0-for-3 with a walk. Derek Jeter did not play.
* The New York Mets lost to the Baltimore Orioles, 6-4 at Camden Yards in Baltimore. Nick Markakis went 4-for-4. Aubrey Huff went 2-for-3 with a home run, a walk, and 3 RBIs. Matt Wieters went 1-for-3 with a home run and 2 RBIs. For the Mets, Gary Sheffield went 2-for-4, including a solo shot for his 507th career home run. He would hit just 2 more.
* The Boston Red Sox beat the Florida Marlins, 6-1 at Fenway Park in Boston. David Ortiz went 1-for-2 with 2 walks.
* The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 7-1 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Scott Richmond struck 11 batters out in 8 innings, outpitching Jamie Moyer. Rod Barajas, Aaron Hill, and, of course, former Phillie Scott Rolen hit home runs for the Jays. Jayson Werth homered for the Phils, but Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley each went 0-for-4, and Ryan Howard went 1-for-2 with 2 walks.
* The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Cleveland Indians, 9-8 at Progressive Field in Cleveland. J.J. Hardy hit a sacrifice fly to score Prince Fielder with the winning run in the top of the 11th inning.
* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Atlanta Braves, 4-3 at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.
* The Chicago White Sox beat their crosstown rivals, the Chicago Cubs, 4-1 at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Minnesota Twins, 8-2 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.
* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Detroit Tigers, 4-3 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Albert Pujols went 0-for-2 with 2 walks.
* The Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Kansas City Royals, 12-5 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.
* The Colorado Rockies beat the Tampa Bay Rays, 5-3 at Coors Field in Denver.
* The Seattle Mariners beat the San Diego Padres, 4-3 at Petco Park in San Diego. Ken Griffey Jr. went 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI. Ichiro Suzuki went 1-for-4 with a stolen base.
* The Oakland Athletics beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 5-4 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
* And the Los Angeles Angels beat their arch-rivals, the San Francisco Giants, 4-3 at AT&T Park (now Oracle Park) in San Francisco.
Football was out of season. The NBA Finals ended 3 days earlier, when the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Orlando Magic in Game 5. The Stanley Cup Finals ended 2 days before that, when the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Detroit Red Wings in Game 7.
No comments:
Post a Comment