García hits 3 HRs for Rangers in 1st 5 innings vs Oakland
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Adolis García hit three home runs for the Texas Rangers in the first five innings Saturday night against the Oakland Athletics.
The 30-year-old Cuban slugger launched two-run shots in the first, third and fifth — all at least 400 feet — as the Rangers built a 13-2 lead. He added a two-run double in the seventh to make it 15-2, giving him a career-high eight RBIs.
García’s 432-foot drive into the second deck in left field came in the first inning of Japanese right-hander Shintaro Fujinami’s fourth career start for Oakland.
García cleared the center-field wall on a 419-foot drive off reliever Adrián Martinez in the third. Texas’ cleanup hitter went deep off Martinez again in the fifth, 401 feet into the Oakland bullpen in left-center.
It’s the first three-homer game for García and the first for the Rangers since Ronald Guzmán connected three times at Yankee Stadium on Aug. 10, 2018.
García had the second three-homer game in the majors this season. Trayce Thompson of the Los Angeles Dodgers hit three in a 10-1 win over Arizona on April 1.
The previous Texas player with eight RBIs in a game was Nelson Cruz on May 25, 2012, at Toronto. The club record of nine is held by Ivan Rodriguez.
After the first homer, García was hit on the left arm on the first pitch from Fujinami in the second inning, a 97 mph fastball. Plate umpire Jordan Baker quickly stepped in front of García, who appeared upset but walked to first base without any words exchanged with the pitcher.
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