Josh Hamilton using same bat

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ARLINGTON, Texas -- Texas Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton is still taking swings with the bat he used to crush four home runs in Tuesday's historic game in Baltimore.

"I hope I don't launch it into the stands," said Hamilton, who frequently tosses bats into the seats on a big swing and miss.

Hamilton said the bat is marked with a sticker so that he knows which one it is, but he plans on continuing to use it.

"I'll swing it until it breaks," Hamilton said.

Then, maybe, the bat will head to the Hall of Fame or some other display. Until then, Hamilton is busy sending balls out of the ballpark at an extremely high rate.

He's had one of the most impressive weeks of power the game has seen. Hamilton belted another home run in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Angels, pushing his total to nine home runs in the past week (six games). Only Frank Howard of the Washington Senators in 1968 has more home runs in a six-game span (he hit 10).

"It's been a good week," said Hamilton, who hit a hanging curveball off former teammate C.J. Wilson to tie the score in the sixth. "I'm thanking God for it. I'm trying to stay out of the way and think as little as possible and just go out there and just go and ride it while it's going."

Hamilton said the bat he used to hit the four home runs is the same one he's used to hit eight of his nine this past week. He used a different bat to hit his homer against Tommy Hunter in Thursday's doubleheader.

"I just grabbed that one and it felt good," Hamilton said.

Hamilton laughed that he's also struck out this week with the same bat that he's hitting homers.

“

It's been a good week. I'm thanking God for it. I'm trying to stay out of the way and think as little as possible and just go out there and just go and ride it while it's going.

” -- Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton

Hamilton, the 2010 AL MVP, leads the Triple Crown categories with a .402 batting average, 18 homers and 41 RBIs. He's just the second player since 1918 to hit 18 home runs in his club's first 34 games. Cy Williams of the 1923 Phillies is the other.

He's on pace to hit 85 home runs.

As for the past week, Hamilton said the only time he can remember hitting home runs in bunches like this was in Legion ball before he was drafted first overall by the Tampa Bay Rays in 1999.

"My junior year, I played 17 games and had 18 home runs and batted like .725," Hamilton said. "That was fun and this is fun. That's comparable, I guess."

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Richard Durrett

ESPNDallas.com

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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.