BALTIMORE -- Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton's torrid 2012 season now includes his first career four-home-run game, all of them two-run shots in a 10-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles.
"Obviously it's, other than being in the World Series, the highlight of my big-league career," Hamilton said.
Hamilton homered off Jake Arrieta in the first and third innings, added another off Zach Phillips in the seventh and topped it off with a one-for-the-books shot against Darren O'Day in the eighth. During the last at-bat, Hamilton took a mighty hack and missed, lined a foul into the right-field seats and then sent an 0-2 pitch over the center-field wall. "I was saying after I hit two that I had never hit three in a game before. What a blessing that was," Hamilton said. "And then to hit four, it was just an awesome feeling to see how excited my teammates got.
"It reminds you of when you're in Little League and a little kid, and just the excitement and why we play the game. Things like that. You never know what can happen. It was just an absolute blessing."
It marked the 16th four-home-run game in major league history. Hamilton is the first to accomplish the feat since Carlos Delgado did so on Sept. 25, 2003, for Toronto against Tampa Bay. Two of the 16 players to hit four homers in a game did it before 1900. Hamilton is the sixth AL player to perform the feat.
"History was witnessed tonight," Rangers manager Ron Washington said.
Even Delgado was impressed, congratulating Hamilton on Twitter.
"#Rangers Mr. Josh Hamilton very nice game. Welcome to the club!!!!!!! @shawngreen15," Delgado wrote, referencing Shawn Green's four-home-run game against the Milwaukee Brewers on May 23, 2002.
Green also took to Twitter to praise Hamilton.
"Thanks for all of the nice messages tonight..." Green wrote, "and thanks Josh Hamilton for getting people to remember me!"
That weirdo is on the Juice!!!
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