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And on the seventh day, she broke.
The bat that Josh Hamilton used to hit eight of his nine home runs experienced a small crack during Sunday's 13-6 win over the Angels. *The Texas Rangers slugger reported the damage and the bat's retirement, but not before recording an RBI *single in the seventh inning with the stick's final swing. It will now head to the Hall of Fame, which had requested the bat after Hamilton used it to hit four home runs in one game last Tuesday.
''She died a hero,'' Hamilton told reporters after the game while smiling. ''She was tired, she was getting a little weak.''
Hamilton did everything he could to preserve the magic inside his own version of Black Betsy, which started its run with a homer on Monday night.*Hamilton quit using the bat during batting practice after the four-homer game and started off Sunday's game using one of the special pink "Mother's Day" bats. He even made sure to hold onto the bat extra tight when he swung because he's been known to let a bat fly into the stands after losing his grip. Hamilton said the only homer he hit with a different bat this week came when he hit a homer off Baltimore's Tommy Hunter and bounced it into the Camden Yards warehouse.
In the end, though, Hamilton's monstrous week was too much for the poor old twig to take. The small crack prevents it from being used in any more game play, but it shouldn't affect its display.
And boy, did it ever earn that spot in Cooperstown.
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Follow @bigleaguestew,*@KevinKaduk and the BLS Facebook page!