Nelson Cruz becomes first hitter in Major League Baseball to slam five homers in League Championship Series
Nelson Cruz may have been on the losing side on Thursday, October 13, at the Comerica Park in Detroit, but the Texas Rangers right fielder was more than happy to establish a record for himself in the American League Championship Series. The hard hitter was
active in Game 5 of the tournament on Thursday but he was unable to put the beat down on the Detroit Tigers. He was however successful in smashing his fifth homer of the series.
Cruz became the first position holder in home run slams in the League Championship Series. His fifth homer came in the eighth inning when the Rangers were down 7 – 2. His two run homer brought Mike Napoli home to raise the tempo and reduce the score line
gap to 3.
"This is very special," Cruz said. "There have been a lot of great players who have played in the playoffs. It's incredible to me that my name is now part of baseball history."
Cruz is also tied with Boston Red Sox hitter, David Ortiz, with 11 RBIs in the League Championship Series for the most drove-in runs. He is also Major League Baseball’s only hitter to smash homers in two separate games with extra innings durations. His walk-off
Grand Slam play is still a memory that is held strong by most fans and players belonging to the Rangers.
"I've never seen anything like the series he's having," said Rangers left fielder David Murphy. "I've only been in one other postseason besides this one, and I've watched a lot of them on TV. To see this guy get an 0-2 fastball that's 100 mph, turn on it
and hit it that far, that just tells you how locked in he is. It's incredible to watch him every day right now."
There are a lot of players who are tied at four homers in the series and they include, B. J. Upton, Carlos Beltran, Albert Pujols, Evan Longoria, Josh Hamilton, Jeffrey Leonard, Jim Thome, Robinson Cano, Steve Garvey and Bob Robertson.
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