Baltimore Orioles left fielder Nelson Cruz showed Texas Ranger fans what they have been missing on Tuesday night. In the eighth inning of his first game back in Arlington, Texas, Cruz belted a 420-foot home run. This blast is Cruz’s 21st of the season, which is the most in the majors.
Cruz’s homer was the final part of a six-run inning for Baltimore that turned a 2-2 ballgame into a blowout.
With one out, designated hitter Delmon Young got the rally started with an infield single. After second baseman Jonathan Schoop was hit by a pitch, catcher Caleb Joseph doubled to drive in the first run of the inning and break the tie.
Right fielder Nick Markakis followed him up with an RBI single to center field. Third baseman Manny Machado kept things going and beat out an infield hit to bring in a run and make the score 5-2. This brought up Cruz, who crushed Texas reliever Neal Cotts’ first pitch over the left field wall.
Orioles starter Ubaldo Jimenez pitched 5 2/3 innings, giving up one run of four hits. Reliever Brian Matusz picked up the win with a 1 2/3-inning outing.
Rangers starter Joe Saunders got a no decision, going six innings and giving up two runs. Reliever Alexi Ogando suffered the loss, allowing three runs to score in only 1/3 inning of work.
Offensively for Texas, third baseman Adrian Beltre recorded three hits and one RBI. On the other side, Baltimore center fielder Adam Jones notched four hits and scored two runs, reports ESPN.
This game was Cruz’s first time visiting the Rangers since leaving the club as a free agent last offseason. He turned down a $14.1 million offer from Texas and signed for $8 million with Baltimore. The 2011 ALCS MVP, who played eight years with the Rangers, missed the last 50 games of the 2013 season for violating the MLB’s drug policy.
“It was like one of the first days in the big leagues,” Cruz said in his postgame press conference on MLB.com. “Everything is going fast, but after the first at-bat, you just fight to stay in the moment and stay focused.”