(image: doinwork.wordpress.com; Ian Kinsler, Josh Hamilton, and Nelson Cruz)
If you've been paying any attention to the World Series this year, chances are you've heard the name Nelson Cruz pop up. An outfielder for the greatest team you'll ever meet, the Texas Rangers, Cruz has been on a roll this postseason.
Cruz is from the Dominican Republic and has played for the Brewers, the Mets, and the A's before he was traded to Texas in 2006. Since then, he's been a vital part of their team, including their World Series appearance last year.
This year's World Series, especially the American League Championship Series that's going on at the moment, has been a postseason of firsts for Cruz. On October 10, 2011, Cruz hit a grand slam in the 11th inning to help the Rangers take the game 7-3 and a series lead of 2-0. With his walk-off grand slam, Cruz became the first player in postseason history to do so. Two days later, on October 12, he hit a homerun in the 11th inning, earning three RBIs. The Rangers got a 3-1 series lead, and Cruz became the first player to hit multiple extra inning homeruns in a single series.
“For you guys that haven’t seen Nelson every day, he’s capable of doing exactly what he’s doing,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said. “We’ve been waiting for it for a long time, and as I always say, I don’t judge Nelson just because he hits balls out of the ballpark. He’s a complete player. He takes pride in every part of the game.”
About his success, Cruz said, ""It's not easy. People ask me if it's that easy. I guess if you can swing, good results are gonna come."
At the moment, the Rangers need just one more win to make it back to the World Series, where they would play either the Milwaukee Brewers or the St. Louis Cardinals. Vamos Rangers! Woo.
Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Cruz_(outfielder)
http://www.suntimes.com/sports/8183338-419/extra-extra-nelson-cruz-hits-another-dramatic-hr-for-rangers.html
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