And what a fifth inning it was ...May 8 2004
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) ? In a fitting end to a wild night, there was a fireworks show after the game.
Texas and the Detroit Tigers combined for 18 runs in the fifth ? one short of the major league record for an inning, and Alfonso Soriano went 6-for-6 in the Rangers' 16-15, 10-inning win Saturday night.
The Whole Report
And what a fifth inning it was ...
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) ? In a fitting end to a wild night, there was a fireworks show after the game.
Texas and the Detroit Tigers combined for 18 runs in the fifth ? one short of the major league record for an inning, and Alfonso Soriano went 6-for-6 in the Rangers' 16-15, 10-inning win Saturday night.
AP
The scoreboard tells an early story of the Tigers-Rangers Saturday night shootout in Arlington, Tex.
Michael Young hit an RBI single off Ugueth Urbina (1-1) in the 10th for the Rangers, who won after trailing by 10 runs for the first time in team history. The previous best was on May 5, 2000, when the Rangers trailed Oakland 15-7 before winning 17-16.
"It's not the way you draw up a big win." Young said in a jubilant Texas clubhouse. "But it's great for our club, and we proved something to ourselves."
Detroit's mood was quite different. (Related item: Game report)
"This shouldn't have happened but it did," Tigers manager Alan Trammell said. "The fact we lost this game is very disturbing."
Each team used seven pitchers, with Francisco Cordero (1-0) pitching a scoreless 10th. Eric Young walked leading off the bottom half, was sacrificed to second and scored on Michael Young's hit following an intentional walk for Brad Fullmer.
"In 27 or 28 years I've never seen anything like this," Texas manager Buck Showalter said. "Nothing these guys do surprise me anymore."
After Detroit took a 14-4 lead with eight runs in the top of the fifth, the Rangers tied it in the bottom half. Ivan Rodriguez put the Tigers back ahead with an RBI single in the sixth, but Hank Blalock tripled leading off the seventh and scored on a double by Soriano, who raised his average from .302 to .336.
"This is the craziest game I've ever seen," Cordero said.
There were 100 pitches in the fifth, which lasted 1 hour, 8 minutes and became the highest-scoring fifth inning in major league history. The bottom half lasted 36 minutes.
Previously, the record for runs in a fifth inning was 16 on Aug. 3, 1986, by the New York Yankees (10) and the Cleveland Indians (6). The major league record for runs in any inning is 19, by Cleveland (13) and Boston (6) in the eighth on April 10, 1977.
The Tigers and Rangers combined for 13 hits (eight by Texas), nine walks (five by Texas batters). There were 28 batters in the inning (15 Rangers). Detroit's pitchers threw 46 pitchers and Rangers' pitchers threw 54.
By Tony Gutierrez, APt
Eric Young scores the final run of Texas' 16-15, 10-inning victory over Detroit.
The teams used seven pitchers, one short of the major league record for pitchers used in any inning.
Soriano and Herbert Perry of the Rangers each had two hits in the inning.
Each team finished with 16 hits, and Detroit pitchers walked 15 as the game stretched on for 3:59. But the Tigers' Rondell White came up empty, going 0-for-6.
Rodriguez, who spent the first 11 1/2 seasons of his career in Texas, and Alex Sanchez each had three hits and three RBI. Craig Monroe had three hits for Detroit.
Detroit starter Mike Maroth gave up nine runs ? eight earned ? seven hits and six walks in four innings. He inherited the 10-run lead, but promptly gave up two-run home runs to Blalock and Herbert Perry.
"The other eight guys around me did their job." said Maroth, who lost 21 games last season. "It's one thing to have a bad outing. But it hurts more since we scored 14 runs five innings. I just couldn't find a way to get outs."
The Rangers' R.A. Dickey, who had won his previous three starts, gave up six runs and nine hits in 3 2/3 innings.
With the Tigers ahead 6-4, Texas reliever Doug Brocail walked his first three batters in the fifth, allowed a two-run single to Monroe, walked another batter and was replaced by Ron Mahay.
Alex Sanchez had another two-run single and Rodriguez hit an RBI infield single as Detroit's first eight batters reached before White took a called third strike. Jay Powell finally ended the inning by getting Craig Monroe to fly out.
Texas' first nine batters reached in the bottom half. Blalock and Perry hit two-run homers off Maroth, Danny Patterson walked his only two batters, David Dellucci hit a two-run single off Al Levine and Gerald Laird followed with an RBI single as Texas closed to 14-11.
After Michael Young struck out for the first out of the inning, Blalock walked, Soriano hit a two-run single and Perry tied the score with an RBI single.
"I was thinking maybe we score two runs or three runs at a time," Soriano said. "I never thought we could do anything like this."
Craig Dingman came in and walked Mark Teixeira, then got Brian Jordan to hit into an inning-ending double play.
As the scoring mounted, the runs did a number on several of the pitchers' earned run averages. For example, Brocail distinguished himself by surrendering one hit and four walks ? and five runs ? as his ERA rocketed from 6.75 to 21.00.
Notes: Texas pitching coach Orel Hershiser was ejected in the second inning by plate umpire Matt Hollowell after asking about his strike zone. ... Perry homered for the first time since Sept. 26, 2002, against Anaheim. ... Detroit's Bobby Higginson hit a two-run homer in the second. ... This was Texas' first extra-inning game of the season. Detroit is 1-2 in extra-inning games.
