It was always a point of contention when Josh Hamilton was with the Texas Rangers — is it really worth sliding headfirst into first base, or do you get there faster by just running through the bag? Well, Hamilton certainly seemed convinced of the former, even though the latter has all but been scientifically proven.
The risk far outweighs the potential reward when sliding headfirst into first base, and on Tuesday night in Seattle, Hamilton learned that the hard way, as did the Los Angeles Angels.
Hamilton suffered a complete tear of his ulnar collateral ligament in his thumb and must have surgery to repair the injury, which is expected to put him out of action for six to eight weeks.
"Well, it's just Hamilton. He sucks," you might say. Well, you'd be wrong.
Hamilton has resembled the 2010 AL MVP Hamilton so far this season, hitting .444 with two homers and six RBIs through his team's first half-dozen games, and the Angels are struggling with that. Imagine what they're going to do without it.
“It’s part of his instinct to get to a base,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia told the Associated Press. “Sometimes you just react to a situation. It’s just competitive nature, and Josh plays hard.”
Keep telling yourself that, Mike. Hamilton's always been a risk, he's said so himself. And once again, he showed the negative aspect of having him on your team on Tuesday night.
