Thirty!

When was the last time a 110-year-old record was broken in major league baseball?

The Texas Rangers rounded the bases at a dizzying pace and became the first team in 110 years to score 30 runs in a game, setting an American League record Wednesday in a 30-3 rout of the Baltimore Orioles.

"This is something freaky. You won't see anything like this again for a long, long time. I am glad I was on this end of it," said Marlon Byrd, who hit one of two Texas grand slams.

Trailing 3-0 in the opener of a doubleheader, Texas couldn't be stopped. At last, the last-place Rangers did something right.

"We set a record for something on the good side of baseball," manager Ron Washington said.

It was the ninth time a major league team scored 30 runs, the first since the Chicago Colts set the major league mark in a 36-7 rout of Louisville in a National League game on June 29, 1897, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

As the geeky, sports-obsessed boy that I was growing up, I knew that no team in either league had scored more than 29 runs in a game since there were two leagues, going back to 1901. I don't think it ever occurred to me that 30 runs in a game was possible. It was just too wild to contemplate.

Best tidbit about the score:

Anyone got the Ravens' number?: The Baltimore Ravens, who play across the parking lot from the Orioles, haven't allowed 30 points since Week 12 in 2005.

Ouch.

For more mindless fun about this, see the Top 100 beatdowns list. Now I need to figure out what other realistically reachable 19th century records still stand.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on August 23, 2007 to Baseball