Josh Hamilton not bothered by the sun
But the slugger is no longer just a night owl. Hamilton isn't having any problems hitting during the day. The Minnesota Twins can tell you about it. So can the Detroit Tigers.
Hamilton, who had a first-inning home run Sunday in broad daylight, is hitting .500 (12-for-24) with four home runs and nine RBIs in the day.
"I'm putting those drops in my eyes and I've got some shades I like for the field," Hamilton said. "I got it figured out toward the end of last year."
Hamilton hit just .220 in the day in 2011 (75-for-249).
But it seems that nothing -- not sunshine, darkness, clouds or any location -- can stop Hamilton. He's batting .418, second in the AL. He leads the league in homers with seven and is second in RBIs with 17.
Hamilton doesn't particularly care if he's hitting against a left-handed or right-handed pitcher, either. His splits are actually better against lefties (12-for-25, .480) than righties (.381).
No matter how you look at it, Hamilton is putting up crazy numbers through the first 16 games as he heads to Texas with the Rangers for three games against the New York Yankees and then the Tampa Bay Rays.
Richard Durrett
ESPNDallas.com
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Richard Durrett
Richard Durrett joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. He writes about colleges, the Dallas Stars and the Texas Rangers. Richard spent nine years at The Dallas Morning News covering the Rangers, Stars, colleges, motorsports and high schools.
Tim MacMahon
Tim MacMahon joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. Tim covers the Cowboys and Mavericks. He has covered the local sports scene from high schools to colleges to pros during his six-year tenure at The Dallas Morning News. MacMahon is a graduate of UNT.
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Play Podcast Ron Washington joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett for his weekly visit to discuss the magnitude of Monday's win against Oakland, how he plans on using Jurickson Profar and how to handle a struggling ballclub.
Play Podcast Nolan Ryan joins Galloway & Company to discuss the Rangers' six-game losing streak and how to get out of their slump.
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Play Podcast Eric Nadel, the radio voice of the Texas Rangers, explains on Galloway & Company the bullpen situation that forced Ron Washington's hand in the Boston finale.
UPCOMING GAMES
| W-L | HM | AW | STK | L10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OAK | 43-30 | 22-12 | 21-18 | W1 | |
| TEX | 39-32 | 20-15 | 19-17 | L1 |
| W-L | HM | AW | STK | L10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OAK | 43-30 | 22-12 | 21-18 | W1 | |
| TEX | 39-32 | 20-15 | 19-17 | L1 |
| W-L | HM | AW | STK | L10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEX | 39-32 | 20-15 | 19-17 | L1 | |
| STL | 45-26 | 20-13 | 25-13 | L1 |
TEAM LEADERS
| BA LEADER | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Adrian Beltre
|
|||||||||||
| OTHER LEADERS | ||||||||||||
| HR | N. Cruz | 18 | ||||||||||
| RBI | N. Cruz | 48 | ||||||||||
| R | A. Beltre | 40 | ||||||||||
| OPS | A. Beltre | .857 | ||||||||||
| W | Y. Darvish | 7 | ||||||||||
| ERA | Y. Darvish | 2.84 | ||||||||||
| SO | Y. Darvish | 137 | ||||||||||
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