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GAME LOG
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- Texas' Rafael Palmeiro got his wish and
hit his 400th career homer at home, then started looking toward
what he considers a more significant milestone.
|  | | Rafael Palmeiro became the 32nd player to hit 400 home runs. |
Palmeiro, who sat out the end of a series at Minnesota for a chance to hit No. 400 at home, hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning Saturday night when the Rangers already trailed 8-0 in a 15-4 loss to the Anaheim Angels.
"It's nice but I'm looking to do more," Palmeiro said.
"Honestly, it felt like any other home run. I keep saying that to
me right now 399, 400 and 401, it's all the same. If I'm lucky
enough to get close to 500, then I'll feel a little bit different
about it. That's more of an exclusive club."
Palmeiro is the 32nd major leaguer to join the 400-homer club.
Just half of those have reached 500 homers, and the only active
player in that club is Mark McGwire with 554.
The lone highlight for Texas was Palmeiro, who while reaching
his milestone had three of the Rangers' four hits and drove in all
four runs.
Troy Glaus hit a pair of solo homers, taking over the AL lead with 43 -- and the Angels had a season-high 10 extra-base hits.
Anaheim had four of those extra-base hits when it scored six runs in the second inning.
The night still belonged Palmeiro.
"It was Raffy's show," Texas manager Johnny Oates said. "I'm
really happy that he was able to do it in front of the home fans
and his family. That makes it worthwhile to me."
While Palmeiro has downplayed No. 400, he acknowledged that it
was special to hit it at home with his wife Lynne and two sons
sitting in the front row beside the Rangers' dugout.
Palmeiro's 400th homer came when he hit a 3-1 pitch from Angels
reliever Scott Karl barely into the right field stands. The ball bounced off a fan in the front row, and back onto the field, and
was then given to his family.
"I'm just glad that they were able to be there close, and I
just felt relieved that I was able to do it here," Palmeiro said.
"I'm glad it's over with, and now I can finish the season."
Palmeiro added an RBI single in the seventh to make it 13-4
before being lifted for a pinch-runner.
Palmeiro, who turns 36 on Sunday, is the first player to reach
the 400-homer milestone in a Texas uniform. With 39 homers this
season, he has hit 193 of his career homers in seven seasons with
the Rangers (1989-93 and 1999-2000).
After hitting No. 399 in the third inning Tuesday night at
Minnesota, Palmeiro didn't bat again in that series. He was 0-for-3
on Friday night, and had singled and flown out in two previous
at-bats Saturday.
"A guy like Raffy who's been such a tremendous player for so
many years, you like to see that," said Anaheim manager Mike
Sciocsia. "I'm not really happy that it put them back in the game
though."
Glaus increased his career homer total to 73 in two-plus seasons
with his leadoff homer in the top of the fifth. That came two
innings after his 418-foot blast to left.
Tim Salmon had two doubles in the Anaheim second, when Glaus
also singled and scored. Salmon led off the second with a double
and then had a two-out, two-run double that chased Texas starter
Rick Helling (15-13).
In between Salmon's doubles, Garrett Anderson had an RBI double,
Adam Kennedy a two-run triple and Kevin Stocker a sacrifice bunt
that produced a run.
Anderson added a three-run homer, his 34th of the season, in the
sixth inning, and a sacrifice fly in the ninth.
Karl (2-2) was the winner, with the only two hits he allowed in
4 1/3 innings being to Palmeiro. He struck out two and walked four.
Helling, who gave up six runs on five hits in 1 2/3 innings, has
gone 1-5 in his last eight starts. He has a 7.41 ERA (34 earned
runs over 41 1/3 innings) since his last victory Aug. 12.
Game notes
Darin Erstad's seventh-inning single was his 228th hit of
the season, the most in the majors since Kirby Puckett had 234 for
Minnesota in 1988. ... Palmeiro is the first Texas player with at
least 100 runs, 100 RBI and 100 walks in the same season. ...
Glaus has 78 extra-base hits, an Angels' single-season record. ...
The ten extra-base hits were a season high for Anaheim. ... The two
teams combined to used five pinch-runners in the seventh, an
American League record for pinch-runners in an inning. Anaheim used
four pinch-runners, becoming the first AL team to do that since
1987.
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