It’s amazing. Really, truly amazing.
The Rangers are 5 games over .500 and have beaten the dreaded Yankees in Arlington for the first time in 3 years. And what a win it was!
After falling to a quick 3-0 deficit, the Rangers slowly chipped back and built a 5-4 lead. But in the bottom of the 8th, Frankie Francisco allowed a 2-out, 2-strike home run to Xavier Nady to tie the game at 5. “Everyday” Eddie Guardado came in to pitch the 9th and managed to get out of the inning thanks to a tremendous defensive play by Josh Hamilton. Then, it was up to the offense to do the rest.
One batter, one out. Milton Bradley came in to pinch hit after being on the DL for a week and managed to go from 0-2 to a walk. Ian Kinsler struck out swinging…and you began to wonder if we’d be going into extra innings. Michael Young and Josh Hamilton both worked walks, and the bases were loaded with two outs. Up to the plate steps Marlon Byrd, and the ballpark erupted into “The Bird.” And this, my friends, is what happened on the very first pitch he saw.