There was a time, in the entire 2000s decade and a portion of the 2010s, that the Texas Rangers were a truly feared team for pitchers.
They used to have some of the best offenses in the game back then: Alex Rodriguez, Ivan Rodriguez, Juan Gonzalez, Alfonso Soriano, Ian Kinsler, Nelson Cruz, Mark Teixeira, Hank Blalock, Michael Young, David Murphy, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and other stars were Rangers players at some point back then.
The team showcased all of its hitting talent on one specific night, back in 2007.
The foe was the Baltimore Orioles.
The final score?
30-3.
No, we aren’t talking about football: it was a baseball game.
Today, it will be 15 years since that game.
The @Rangers scored a MLB record 30 runs on this day in 2007! 😱 pic.twitter.com/ESPBzfKLlR
— MLB Vault (@MLBVault) August 22, 2022
An All-Time Hitting Performance
It’s amazing how time flies.
Every Rangers starter had at least two hits, and Travis Metcalf, who entered the game for Michael Young, hit a grand slam.
They hit six home runs: Ramon Vazquez and Saltalamacchia hit two each, with seven RBI.
Daniel Cabrera allowed six earned runs and took the loss, but every Orioles pitcher was even worse: Brian Burres conceded eight runs while getting just two outs (!), Rob Bell surrendered seven runs, and Paul Shuey allowed nine.
It was a disastrous night for Orioles pitching, and the Rangers took advantage.
Since that day, we have seen a few 20-something run games, but nothing like that game on August 22, 2007.
It will be hard to top such an impressive display of power and offense.
That day, the entire Orioles staff looked like minor leaguers, and the Rangers looked like baseball’s Globetrotters version.
It’s just one of those days that Rangers and Orioles fan will remember for a long time.
NEXT: Chris Woodward Comments After Being Fired By The Rangers