Watch: Rangers Josh Smith’s Inside-The-Park Homer
Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Smith’s first home run was an inside-the-park job on Monday night that put him in the Rangers’ record books.
Smith became just the third player in team history to hit an inside-the-park home run for his first Major League home run.
The other two Rangers to accomplish the feat were Craig Gentry on Sept. 23, 2011, against Seattle and Mark Sagmoen on April 17, 1997, against Kansas City.
Smith’s hit in the bottom of the sixth should have been no more than a single. But Athletics center fielder Ramon Laureano tried to slide under the line drive in an attempt to make the catch. The ball then slid under Laureano and all the way to the wall in dead center field.
Smith, whose speed has made him a consistent leadoff hitter for the Rangers, got him all the way round the bases before the ball got back in the infield.
Smith, one of the Rangers’ top prospects, was called up in late May and has turned into a consistent producer for the club as the All-Star Break approaches.
He’s batting .238/.375/.317/.692 with one home run and eight RBI in 21 games and 63 at-bats. He has scored 10 runs and has two doubles this season.
Smith was one of four prospects that the Rangers received in the Joey Gallo trade last season. He’s the third of those four to make their MLB debut along with infielder Ezequiel Duran and pitcher Glenn Otto.
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