The night looked good for the Oakland Athletics at Globe Life Field in Texas, where they started winning this Saturday from the opening episode. However, in response to his 2 runs in the first act, the Rangers unleashed a relentless offensive of 18 touchdowns, 8 extra-base hits and 4 home runs, 3 of them by Cuban Adolis García, who put on a great show.
The Rangers’ patrolman from Ciego de Avila lived his best day since he debuted in Big leagues in 2018, because in addition to the 3 home runs, he got a pair of doubles, 8 RBIs and 5 runs scored in the overwhelming 18-3 victory of the Rangers over Oakland. So brutal was this performance that it had never been seen in the centuries-old history of the Majors.
“It was an incredible night for me. I didn’t expect something like this to happen, but I am truly blessed and grateful for it. I was just looking for certain pitches, in a certain area. I wasn’t trying to think too much, I just wanted to make good contacts.” said Adolis to MLB.
The Great Bombino. #StraightUpTX pic.twitter.com/QlXk7gcxQq
—Texas Rangers (@Rangers) April 23, 2023
Adolis opened the night with a 2-run home run off Japanese shooter Shintaro Fujinami, who received heavy punishment of 7 hits and 8 earned in just 2.1 innings of work. Unfortunately for the A’s, the relievers couldn’t minimize the damage either, giving up 11 rockets and 10 runs in the remainder of the game.
Adolis’s drives stole the Rangers show, not only because of what he managed to produce with them, but also because of his size and strength. In total, the Cuban’s 5 hits had an average exit velocity of 104.2 miles and his 3 home runs traveled 1,252 feet. Here we show you more details:
* First turn: 2-run home run to left field (estimated distance: 432 feet; exit velocity: 109.1 miles)
* Second shift: ball
* Third turn: 2-run home run to center field (estimated distance: 419 feet; exit velocity: 108.1 miles)
* Fourth turn: 2-run homer to left-center (estimated distance: 401 feet; exit velocity: 99.8 miles)
* Fifth turn: 2-run double to right-center (estimated distance: 214 feet; exit velocity: 107.3 miles)
* Sixth turn: turn to left field (estimated distance: 175 feet; exit velocity: 96.8 miles)
In his last trip to the offensive box, Adolis faced Jace Peterson, a position player who came on as a late pitcher for the score difference. In his own words, the Cuban sought his fourth home run of the night to join the very exclusive 16-man club with 4 homers in a major league game, but he couldn’t make it.
“I wanted to hit the home run (in the last at-bat), but a double is just as good. I’ll take it with me,” said Adolis, who swung violently against a slow pitch of just 57.2 miles.
After this huge game, Adolis reached 28 trailers and rose to the top of the top pushers of the season in MLB. In addition, he went on to command the list of Cuban home run hits in 2023 with 7 hits beyond the limits.
But there are many more relevant statistical data that the extraordinary staging of the Cuban left us, which we review below:
* Adolis Garcia is the first player in MLB history with a 3 home run, 2 double and 8 RBI game. In addition, he is the second with 5 extra-base hits and 8 RBIs in the same duel, after Josh Hamilton (4 homers and 1 double in 2012). Interestingly, the two did it with the Texas Rangers jersey.
* For the first time in the history of Globe Life Field in Texas, a player hits 3 home runs in the same game. In addition, Adolis was left alone as the player with the most multi-homer games (4) in the Rangers’ fiefdom.
* Adolis García is the 19th Rangers player with 3 home runs in the same game, and the first to do so since 2018 (Ronald Guzmán). The man from Avila is also the second Cuban after José Canseco to hit 3 balls beyond the limits with the Texas jersey.
* Kris Bryant (Cubs-2016), Matt Carpenter (Cardinals-2018) and Alex Dickerson (Giants-2020) were the only players to have hit 3 home runs and 2 doubles in the same MLB game. Adolis joins the list, with the particularity that he is the first to do so in the American League.
* Adolis García is the first Cuban and the fourteenth player in Major League history with a game of 5 extra-base hits. Before, only two Latinos had achieved it: José Ramírez (Cleveland-2017) and Luis Urías (Milwaukee-2021).
* Yasmani Grandal (2015 and 2021), José Canseco (1994) and Yuli Gurriel (2019) were the only Cubans with 8 RBIs in the same MLB game. Adolis joins the list with his explosion this Saturday.
* Adolis Garcia is the seventh Rangers player with 8 RBIs in a game. The last to do so was Nelson Cruz more than a decade ago (May 25, 2012), although the Dominican had done it before in 2011. The list is completed by Mike Epstein (1970), Juan Igor González (1993), José Canseco (1994), Iván “Pudge Rodríguez (9 in 1999) and Josh Hamilton (2012).
