DALLAS - GAME RECAP

June 29th - Texas 9 Oakland 6 - Attendance 40,025.

Cory Lidle started for Oakland while the Rangers sent newly-acquired Rob Bell to the hill.  Texas scored 3 in the first, on two home runs by Alex Rodriguez and Ruben Sierra, but Oakland replied in the second with 3 of their own.

Frank Catalanotto homered in the 3rd to give Texas the lead again, but Jeremy Giambi replied with a dinger of his own to knot the game at 4. In the bottom of the fourth, another Ranger run scored, helped along by a dropped fly ball by Jeremy Giambi.

In the 5th, Jason Giambi walked with two out and three singles later the A's had a 6-5 lead and Bell was out of the game. It was still 6-5 in the bottom of the 7th. After Pudge Rodriguez singled, A-Rod got him to second on a ground-out. Lidle was taken out and Mike Magnante was brought in. Rafael Palmeiro greeted him with an RBI single to tie the game. Ruben Sierra doubled and Gabe Kapler walked to load the bases.

Andres Galarraga came up but before he could do any damage, Magnante unleashed a wild pitch that allowed Palmeiro to score. Catcher Carlos Hernandez threw to Magnante covering home, but the ball hit Palmeiro in the foot and bounced into the Ranger dugout, allowing the other two runners to score. 3 runs on a wild pitch! Definitely the strangest play on this trip. Oakland was deflated after that and went quietly in their last two innings, and Texas won 9-6. 

July 1st - Texas 3 Oakland 1 - Attendance 26,547.

Mike Mulder and Rick Helling were the dueling starters today, and both pitched well. After 6 innings, the A's led 1-0 on an Eric Chavez double and a sacrifice fly by Corey McMillon. Mulder was dominating, allowing only two doubles through 7 frames. But in the eighth, singles by Andres Galarraga and Gabe Kapler had men on first and second with 2 out. Bo Porter was up and Mulder made his only mistake of the game on a full count pitch. Porter sent it flying over the left-field fence and Texas had a 3-1 lead, which was saved by Zimmerman.

Haselman is out

A-Rod swings

July 2nd - Seattle 9 Texas 7 (10) - Attendance 28,487.

Lefty Doug Davis got the start which put Ichiro on the bench. Stan Javier played right instead, and doubled and scored in the first inning. Dan Wilson hit a 2-run shot in the second to give the M's the 3-0 lead, but Texas came back with 3 in their half of the second and another in the third to lead 4-3.

Wilson singled in the fourth and scored on a Mike Cameron double and the score was 4-4. The pitching settled down for the next 3 innings and it was still tied at 4 after 6.

In the 7th, Cameron tripled home Mark McLemore, which ended Davis' day. Pat Mahomes came in and Ichiro was brought in to pinch hit. He struck out, and Mahomes was able to get out of the jam, but Seattle was up 5-4. Ruben Sierra led off the Texas 7th with a shot of his own off reliever Ryan Franklin, and a walk and two more hits by the Rangers put them into a 7-5 lead.

We went to the bottom of the ninth for one of the most exciting finishes on this trip. Tom Lampkin was hit by a Zimmerman pitch to lead off the inning and Mark McLemore singled him to third. But McLemore was caught stealing (his first of the season after 23 successes) and Cameron struck out. Ichiro was up with two away and the M's down by two. Ichiro had already hit a homer off Zimmerman earlier this season, but this didn't seem to worry him. On a 1-0 pitch, though, history repeated itself as Ichiro golfed a line drive home run to right field to tie the game! We were going to extra innings.

Ichiro wonders what to do

Ichiro homers to tie the game

In the top of the 10th, the Mariners scored two runs, and Kazuhiro Sasaki came in to get his 29th save, which he did by striking out both Texas All-Stars (Ivan and Alex Rodriguez) to end the game. 

This was a great game as we had many lead changes and Ichiroics as well so it gets a 9/10.