Four days in July - 1996/2008 (Part 2)

With July upon us, I think it is worth revisiting the summer of 1996.  For me, the most anticipated series in my history as a Rangers fan was the four game set versus Seattle from July 4 through July 7July 1996.  This Angels series doesn't rank up there, but it is probably the closest thing I've experienced since the first Rangers-Mariners series of 2001.

I set up the series and discussed game one yesterday, and I will discuss game two  tonight.  I'll keep on going later in the week if folks are interested...

Game 2

Game 2 of this series, July 5, 1996, saw another sellout crowd approaching 47,000 fill the stands in the 95 degree + summer heat.  Tonight would see longtime Ranger great and fan favorite Bobby Witt take on Sterling Hitchcock.  The Ranger lineup was pretty typical, though with Will Clark on the DL (I didn't realize that he was on the DL when I posted the first part of this recollection yesterday), Rene Gonzalez took over at first. 

After spending most of the previous game trying to come back from an early deficit, before Mike Henneman and Dennis Cook torched the place in the ninth, Texas got off to an early lead tonight.  Rusty Greer, who was doing everything he could in this series to this point, singled in the first before getting doubled in by Juando, who was in the middle of his MVP season, which was most likely his greatest season. 

Witt, who would throw 200 fairly pedestrian innings this year, couldn't hold the Mariners off.  Seattle scored single runs in the second, third, fourth, and seventh.  Dan Wilson and Edgar Martinez each weren't satisfied with their role in the Seattle victory the previous evening and contributed tonight with an RBI single and a solo bomb, respectively.  Witt pitched into the ninth, allowing a walk to Edgar and a two-rum shot to Jay Buhner before being pulled for the perennially disappointing Gil Heredia.  Witt finished the evening with a prepostrous 143 pitches, allowing 14 hits and 3 walks (17 runners!) in 8+ innings pitched.  Jackson would finish the game without allowing a runner. 

After getting out to the first inning lead, Texas wouldn't score again until the ninth, when Juando and Mickey Tettleton would go long with back-to-back solo shots to pull texas to within 6-3, but reliever Mike Jackson was able to close out the victory for the M's.  Another sellout crowd went home, and Texas' once solid lead in the AL West was down to 4 games.