Josh Hamilton hits HRs off breaking balls

May, 13, 2012
5/13/12
11:00
AM CT

Josh Hamilton hit a home run off a hanging curveball Saturday, his seventh homer of the 2012 season off a breaking ball. That's the most homers he's hit off breaking balls in a season with the Texas Rangers. In other words, Hamilton is hitting just about anything out of the park.

ESPN Stats & Information put together Hamilton's total homers off breaking balls since coming to the Rangers:

2012: 7
2011: 6
2010: 6
2009: 4
2008: 1

* Willie Mays and Josh Hamilton are the only two players in MLB history with a .400 batting average and at least 17 homers in their team's first 34 games. Mays was hitting .405 with 17 HR for the 1964 Giants. Hamilton is hitting .402 with 18 HR for the 2012 Rangers.

* All four of the previous players to hit at least 17 home runs in the team's first 34 games finished the season with between 40 and 50 homers. Here's a list of players with the most home runs in team's first 34 games (prior to Hamilton) and how they finished the season:

Cy Williams: 18 homers in first 34 games, finished with 41
Albert Pujols: 17 homers in first 34 games, finished with 49
Frank Howard: 17 homers in first 34 games, finished with 44
Willie Mays: 17 homers in first 34 games, finished with 47
>>Source: Elias Sports Bureau
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.

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TEAM LEADERS

WINS LEADER
Yu Darvish
WINS ERA SO IP
7 2.84 91 66
OTHER LEADERS
BAI. Kinsler .302
HRN. Cruz 11
RBIN. Cruz 33
RE. Andrus 29
OPSM. Moreland .905
ERAY. Darvish 2.84
SOY. Darvish 91

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