ANAHEIM, Calif. - Josh Hamilton doubled, singled and scored two runs in his return to Angel Stadium, and Texas got 7-plus outstanding innings of four-hit ball from Colby Lewis in a 4-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night.
Hamilton was booed whenever he stepped to the plate or touched the ball at the stadium where he played the previous two seasons after signing a five-year, $125 million free-agent deal with the Angels. The former AL MVP was traded back to Texas three months ago following two dismal years in Orange County.
"I expect (the boos)," Hamilton told reporters before the game. "It's funny because when I was playing with the Angels and when A.J. Pierzynski was coming to bat, they would boo him, and a couple of the guys, coaches, would say, 'I wish they'd stop booing him because he's killing us.' Hopefully it's the same scenario."
Hamilton's double off the right-field wall started the Rangers' three-run rally in the fourth.
Hamilton who says he never got a response when he reached out to Angels owner Arte Moreno earlier in the season, had just his second multi-hit game of July despite the frosty reception. Hamilton grinned and smirked after most of the boos, and he chatted frequently on the field with his former Angels teammates. He also figured in both of the Rangers' scoring rallies.
- With files from theScore
