He hit a grand slam through a crowd of boos in the stadium. A home run with the bases loaded after striking out in four consecutive at-bats is the first record in major league postseason history. Texas Rangers outfielder Adolis Garcia (30) was the protagonist. 토스카지노
Garcia hit a grand slam in the 9th inning to put Texas up 9-2 in Game 6 of the 2023 Major League Postseason American League Championship Series (ALCS, best-of-7) held at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas, on the 23rd (Korean time). contributed to the victory.
The first four at-bats were all strikeouts. They were unable to use their strength amid harsh boos from the 42,368 Houston spectators who filled Minute Maid Park. In Game 5 of the ALCS on the 21st, Garcia, who hit a come-from-behind three-run home run in the 6th inning and showed off a hot bat flip, became enraged after being hit by Houston relief pitcher Brian Abreu’s ball in the 8th inning and stood at the center of the bench clearing.
As a result, Abreu was suspended for two games by the Major League Baseball office. He appealed and waited to pitch in Game 6, but it was a blow to Houston’s power as he could not continue to use the main bullpen. Garcia, who had become a ‘disliked image’ to Houston fans, was booed every time he came to bat in Game 6.
The boos continued throughout the at-bat, and Garcia also seemed shaken after striking out in four consecutive at-bats. However, with the bases loaded and one out in the 9th inning with a 5-2 lead, he targeted Rein Stanek’s 97.4 mph (156.8 km) four-seam fastball that came high in the middle of the third pitch and went well over the left fence. Texas, who had been pushed to the brink of a 2-3 loss with a single move that frustrated Houston fans, also won 9-2, tying the series at 3-3 and taking the ALCS to the final 7th game.
According to MLB.com, after the game, Texas designated hitter Mitch Garber said, “I think if there’s one player I want to play in a hostile situation, it’s Garcia. “Garcia showed that tonight.” Catcher Jonah Haim said, “If there is a definition of baseball, it is this.” He added, “Garcia made the fans who were booing throughout the game freeze.”
Garcia became the first player in postseason history to record four strikeouts and a grand slam in one game. He had similar records in the regular season. In the game against the Minnesota Twins on the 4th of last month, Garcia led Texas to a 6-5 victory with a walk-off home run in the last at-bat of the 9th inning after striking out 4 consecutive at-bats.
Garcia, a right-handed hitting outfielder from Cuba, played only four first-team games for the Japanese professional baseball Yomiuri Giants in 2016 and defected in February of the following year before signing with the St. Louis Cardinals. He made his major league debut in 2018, but only played in 21 games, and only stayed in Triple-A in 2019. In the end, in December of that year, he was designated as a transfer (DFA) by St. Louis and was removed from the 40-man roster.
At the time, St. Louis, which signed Korean pitcher Gwang-Hyun Kim as a free agent for a two-year guaranteed $8 million contract, had to release someone to make room for him on the 40-man roster. St. Louis, which had room in the outfield, removed Garcia from the 40-man roster, and three days later, Garcia received a claim from Texas and transferred teams. Garcia, who played in only three big league games in 2020, was also DFA’d by Texas in February 2021, but did not receive a claim from any team, so his status was changed to a minor leaguer.
He entered the season as a taxi squad, an away reserve player, along with Korean pitcher Yang Hyeon-jong, who signed a split contract with Texas at the time. However, after his mid-April call-up, his potential exploded and he established himself as a central hitter for Texas. In 149 games that year, he played with a batting average of . In 2022, he showed not bad results with a batting average of .205 (151 hits in 605 at-bats), 27 home runs, 101 RBIs, and an OPS of .756 in 156 games. This year, in 148 games, he had a batting average of .2.45 (136 hits in 555 at-bats), 39 home runs, and 107 RBIs. He had a career-high season with .836. He served as the No. 4 hitter for Texas and was selected as an All-Star again.
That momentum continues into his first fall baseball season. In 11 games this postseason, he is hitting hard with a batting average of .277 (13 hits in 47 at-bats), 5 home runs, 15 RBIs, and an OPS of .923. In particular, he is showing off his hitting skills by hitting home runs in three consecutive games in games 4 to 6 of the ALCS. If Texas wins Game 7 of the ALCS on the 24th, Garcia can also step on the stage of his first World Series. Texas last advanced to the World Series in 2011 and has yet to win a championship since its founding in 1961. Garcia is at the center of Texas’ first championship challenge.