Cruz-ing Into Detroit

Cruz's power bodes well in the Texas lineup
and ballpark.

There have already been so many of firsts this baseball season and Monday's Game 2 of the ALCS proved to be no different.

Texas Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz continued to find his stroke this postseason after struggling mightily in Texas' first-round matchup against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Cruz, who homered in Game 1 against the Detroit Tigers, hit a pair of home runs, both coming in most crucial moments of the game.

With the Rangers trailing 3-2 after six and a half innings, Tigers manager Jim Leyland elected to have his starting pitcher, Max Scherzer, to return for the bottom of the seventh and pitch to Cruz. With left-hander Phil Coke warming in the Detroit bullpen and lefties David Murphy and Mitch Moreland to follow, it looked as if that would be the only batter Scherzer would face, no matter the result.

If all went according to plan, Leyland could have Coke finish the seventh and then summon set-up man Joaquin Benoit and closer Jose Valverde from the 'pen, for the eighth and ninth, to seal the win. It didn't.

On Scherzer's 91st pitch of the night, Cruz hammered a 1-2 fastball up in the zone and deposited it into the left field seats for a game-tying home run.

But it would be Cruz's second home of the night that would make postseason history.

After three scoreless innings from both the Detroit and Texas bullpen, innings that included both closers walking a tightrope and escaping ninth inning bases-loaded jams, Game 2 headed to the eleventh, setting the stage for a postseason first.

Texas set-up man Mike Adams struck out the first two batters of the inning, but surrendered a two-out single to the versatile only to have 2011 AL batting champion, Miguel Cabrera, fly out to center field to end the inning.

The Rangers quickly jumped on Tigers reliever Ryan Perry with three consecutive singles to start the home half of the inning, loading the bases with nobody out for the second time in the game. The first time Detroit was fortunate enough to allude any damage, this time would be much different.

Cruz, who had been dropped all the way to seventh in the order due to his recent struggles, came to the plate with a chance to be a hero. Someone who relishes in the moment, the 31-year-old slugger blasted his second home run of the game for a walk-off grand slam, giving the Rangers a 7-3 win and a 2-0 LCS series lead.

There have been 42 walk-off home runs in postseason history, but Cruz's walk-off grand slam was the first of it's variety, adding another accomplishment to his impressive postseason resume.

Technically it should have been the second in postseason history after newly hired Chicago White Sox manager Robin Ventura hit a walk-off home run with the bases-loaded in Game 5 of the 1999 NLCS as a member of the New York Mets to beat the Atlanta Braves, but was mobbed by teammates before he could reach home plate turning a grand slam into what we know today as a "grand slam single".

In last years postseason, Cruz hit .317 with 6 home runs, 11 RBIs and 13 extra-base hits. That is why his struggles in the ALDS, where he batted .067, came as such a shock.

An All-Star in 2009, Cruz is rapidly turning into one of the best big game performers in the majors, but injuries have halted him from becoming one of the games brightest young stars. The Monte Cristi native has taken five trips to the disabled list over the last two seasons, mainly due to hamstring issues. He has averaged only 120 games over the last three seasons with the Rangers, playing only 108 in 2010.

Texas will need to find a way to keep him healthy and his bat hot if they are repeat as American League Champions and return to the World Series.