Baseball Musings: Texas Tees Off

August 22, 2007

Texas Tees Off

Marlon Byrd just hit the third home run of the game for the Texas Rangers, a grand slam in the sixth to extend the Rangers lead to 10-3 over the Orioles. Vazquez and Saltalamacchia also went deep with a three-run and solo shot respectively. They just need a two-run homer for the homer cycle. Saltalamacchia and Vazquez are having a very productive day at the bottom of the order, combining for four hits and six RBI.

Update: Travis Metcalf also hits a grand slam, and the Rangers have now scored 20 runs in the game. They might want to save some for game two of the twin-bill.

Update: Saltalamacchia homers again, and the score is now 24-3. That's the highest scoring game this season and the third time a team scored 20 or more.

Update: Texas scores another six in the ninth as Vazquez hits his second homer of the game. The Rangers now lead 30-3. That's the most runs scored in over 50 years. The Day by Day Database goes back to the start of 1957, and the most scored in that time by a team is 26, which happened four times in that time frame. The bottom two hitters in the Texas lineup each have four hits, two homers and seven RBI.

Update: Jeff B in the comments notes that this is the modern record for runs scored in a game.

Just checked, and indeed today's game sets the modern record. All-time record is from June 29, 1897 when the Chicago Colts scored 36 against the Louisville Colonels.
But of course that's a meaningless junk stat. Since 1900, two teams were tied at 29 runs: Red Sox over the St. Louis Browns on June 8, 1950 and the White Sox over the KC Athletics 29-6 on April 23, 1955.

Therefore today's show by the Rangers does indeed mark the modern record.

Thanks, Jeff.

Posted by David Pinto at 06:45 PM | Games | TrackBack (0)

Comments

Pardon my language, but...holy shit. 30-3. THIRTY RUNS. Is that the modern record?

Posted by: Jeff B. at August 22, 2007 08:19 PM

David -

Just checked, and indeed today's game sets the modern record. All-time record is from June 29, 1897 when the Chicago Colts scored 36 against the Louisville Colonels.

But of course that's a meaningless junk stat. Since 1900, two teams were tied at 29 runs: Red Sox over the St. Louis Browns on June 8, 1950 and the White Sox over the KC Athletics 29-6 on April 23, 1955.

Therefore today's show by the Rangers does indeed mark the modern record. Dear god the Orioles are godawful.

Posted by: Jeff B> at August 22, 2007 08:29 PM

Dear god the Orioles are godawful.

Yet they have a better record than the Rangers...

Posted by: dave at August 22, 2007 08:32 PM

Admittedly true.

Posted by: Jeff B. at August 22, 2007 08:45 PM

Just logged on a saw the score. Jeff B., you took the words right out of my mouth.

Posted by: Tor at August 22, 2007 08:52 PM

The 30 runs scored and the 27-run margin of victory are both American League records.

Posted by: Andrew at August 22, 2007 08:59 PM

And, of course, Littleton gets a Save for the Rangers.

Posted by: Miq at August 22, 2007 09:04 PM

My favorite part is that at one point Baltimore was ahead 3-0 in the top of the 4th.

Unfortunately, their team ERA after that point was a cool 45.00.

Also, Littleton could have allowed 26 runs and still gotten the save!

Posted by: maynard at August 22, 2007 09:22 PM

I assume that Littleton would not have gotten a save under your new rule David???

Posted by: Scott Segrin at August 22, 2007 09:27 PM

No.

Posted by: David Pinto at August 22, 2007 09:31 PM

According to the AP recap they also set a record with 57 at bats. Does anyone know what the record for baserunners is? The Rangers had 37 I think.

Posted by: tball at August 22, 2007 11:16 PM

I'm surprised this didn't get a bigger play in the media. The point of the game is to score runs. One of the most basic questions a kid will ask is, "What's the record for most runs scored?" Not, "What's the record for most consecutive scoreless innings pitched", which is what the Mets announcers said was "the big baseball story of the day" (referring to Webb).

This should have been on the front page of the New York Times and other big dailies. It's one for the ages.

Posted by: captcrisis at August 23, 2007 08:10 AM

Texas scored 6 in the ninth in this. Does sportsmanship enter into this at all? Would the Orioles have been justified in pegging someone in the back at that point?

Posted by: Ohs Fan at August 23, 2007 09:38 AM

Ohs Fan,

Yes, sportsmanship DID play a role. Don Wakamatsu(sp?), Rangers third base coach, was holding runners on third as much as possible when the runners could have easily scored. If the Rangers were really trying to run up the score, they could have EASILY broken the Chicago Colts record.

But, you can't expect hitters to not swing the bat, especially when the lineup is loaded with young players auditioning for a place on the club for next year. Simply put, if you don't want to give up 30 runs, don't suck.

Posted by: Andy at August 23, 2007 10:38 AM

Does sportsmanship enter into this at all? Would the Orioles have been justified in pegging someone in the back at that point?

What are they supposed to do? Strike out on purpose?

Sure... sportsmanship plays into it, but you still need to play the game.

And Texas wasn't really able to bring in subs, as they needed to keep the as rested as possible for the second game of the double header.

Posted by: dave at August 23, 2007 12:19 PM