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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Hamilton's homer takes starch out of Jays
Tony Gutierrez / the associated press Josh Hamilton celebrates his game-winning home run. (CP)
ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Toronto Blue Jays went from a potential victory to a crushing loss with one swing of Josh Hamilton's bat.
Hamilton hit a two-run homer in the 13th inning as the Texas Rangers rallied to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 8-7 Saturday.
Toronto had taken a 7-5 lead in the top of the inning, but reliever Justin Frasor couldn't hold on to it.
"It happened so fast," Frasor said. "It was just walk-hit-homer and it was over."
Frasor (0-1), Toronto's seventh pitcher, threw a splitter up in the strike zone on a 1-2 count for Hamilton's league-leading 20th home run of the year. Hamilton's game-ending homer, the third of his career, came while he was fighting an upper respiratory infection. Hamilton had to get IV fluids and oxygen after the game, and he used ammonia towels and fluids during the game to fend off the effects of the 91 degree heat. The mid-day game lasted 4 hours, 38 minutes.
"No matter if he's sick or hurt, every time he plays, he's a hard out," Andrus said.
"I don' think he has to be 100 per cent to hit a homer -- I do. I have to be 100 per cent to hit a home run. But he could hit it with one arm and would still be able to hit it out."
When Ian Kinsler walked to start the inning, it was the fifth-straight inning that the Rangers got their leadoff batter on base. The Rangers left a runner stranded at third base in the seventh, ninth, 10th and 11th innings, and before Hamilton's hit, Texas was 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position.
"That was huge," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "We certainly needed it. We didn't deserve to lose that ballgame, because we put ourselves in position quite a few times. Josh wasn't the only one out there on fumes, everybody was out there on fumes."
In the top of the 13th, Omar Vizquel hit an RBI single for Toronto and later scored after Nelson Cruz misplayed a flyball by Yunel Escobar with two outs. Vizquel went 3 for 6 with his first two RBI's of the season.
Yoshinori Tateyama (1-0), the seventh Rangers pitcher, got one out for the win.
Texas relievers Mike Adams, Joe Nathan, Koji Uehara and Robbie Ross combined to retire 14 in a row starting with the final out of the seventh until Ross walked Colby Rasmus with one out in the 12th.
-- The Associated Press
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition May 27, 2012 B5
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