What do the first, third, seventh, and eighth innings all have in common tonight?
These are the four innings in which Josh Hamilton slugged a home run in the game against the Baltimore Orioles.
Yes, that is right. Four innings, four home runs. One game.
If this doesn't sound impressive enough, take a look at these numbers.
Hamilton is only the 16th MLB player to add this achievement to his resume, and the first since Carlos Delgado in 2003 (We all know how prestigious a perfect game is... 21 pitchers have perfect games).
Tonight Hamilton went 5-for-5.
Hamilton swung 9 times and took 18 total bases during the game.
18 sets the AL record for total bases.
With this, he raised his slugging percentage from .703 to .840 (Matt Kemp is holding strong at .832).
So, what does it all mean?
It means that Josh Hamilton is in the final year of his contact. Naturally, it seems that players who are in the final year of their contract generally play 'better'. As a guy who is plagued with injuries and personal struggles in past seasons, Hamilton has to show why he is worth the gamble heading into the free agent market.
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