Ian Kinsler News: Pro Sports Daily

Kinsler joins 30-30 club to help lead Texas Rangers past Tampa Bay

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September 26

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

"Ian Kinsler said in spring training that if he hit 30 home runs and stole 30 bases this season, he hoped it would help the Texas Rangers significantly. Kinsler launched home run No. 30 into the left-field bleachers Friday night, cementing an 8-3 victory over Tampa Bay and his place in baseball history. The eighth-inning shot also helped keep alive those fleeting playoff hopes for the Rangers, who came into the night trailing the Los Angeles Angels by seven games with 10 to play. Kinsler's blast — a three-run homer on a full-count fastball from Grant Balfour — made him just the third second baseman in big-league history to have a 30-30 season. He joined Alfonso Soriano (2002, '03, '05) and ..."

Kinsler: '09 season not good enough

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September 24

Dallas Morning News

"Ian Kinsler didn't duck when asked if joining the 30-30 club is on his mind. Sure, it is. Only agroup of players have hit 30 homers and stolen 30 bases in the same season. Kinsler sits one shy in each category from joining the elite group. But he isn't swinging for the fences in each at-bat. And he isn't pressing to reach base so he can start running toward a 30th stolen base. Kinsler is simply stuck in another slump during an up-and-down season - one marked by plenty of production and inconsistency. He believes he can be consistent while still being a run producer. That's the goal for next season as he shoots for a strong finish over the final 11 games of 2009. "I think that it could ..."

Kinsler shakes off beaning, back in lineup

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August 16

MLB.com

"Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler was back in the lineup on Sunday, one day after getting hit in the left shoulder and head by a pitch. Red Sox reliever Fernando Cabrera hit Kinsler in the eighth inning of the Rangers' 7-2 victory. Kinsler was first hit on the shoulder and then in the helmet. He stayed in the game and had only a light red bruise on the shoulder Sunday morning. "We were fortunate that he was hit on the shoulder first," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. Kinsler had a demonstrative reaction at the time, yelling at Cabrera and then exchanging words with Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek. "You saw what happened," Kinsler said. "He hit me in the head; it's never fun to get hit ..."

Ian Kinsler placed on DL

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August 3

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

"Neftali Feliz spent the days leading to the trade deadline wondering where he would end up. The July 31 deadline passed with him still at Triple A Oklahoma City. But two days later, he made the move to the Texas Rangers as the club made a number of roster moves before Sunday's game. Second baseman Ian Kinsler (strained left hamstring) and reliever Jason Grilli (right elbow inflammation) were placed on the 15-day disabled list. Pitcher Doug Mathis also was recalled from Oklahoma City. To make room for Feliz on the 40-man roster, pitcher Matt Harrison was transferred from the 15-day to the 60-day disabled list. Kinsler took batting practice and worked in the field before the game, but said ..."

Kinsler sits, hopes to return to Texas Rangers today

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July 30

Dallas Morning News

"The strained left hamstring that forced Ian Kinsler out of the game on Tuesday also kept him out Wednesday against Detroit. Kinsler, though, is optimistic that he will be ready to play today. Still, the Rangers reinforced their infield by recalling Joaquin Arias and optioning right-hander Doug Mathis to Triple-A Oklahoma City."It's a lot better, and I'm getting treatment on it," Kinsler said. "I think I could pinch hit, but I'm just going to give it a complete break."Omar Vizquel replaced Kinsler in the lineup, starting at second base and batting leadoff. Arias, meanwhile, served as the reserve infielder."We definitely had to get some backup on the infield," manager Ron Washington said. ..."

Kinsler still the best leadoff option for Texas Rangers

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July 24

Dallas Morning News

"Correspondent Patrick from Haltom City has a problem with the Texas Rangers' batting order, specifically why Ian Kinsler continues to hold down the leadoff spot. Patrick wants David Murphy up there, and supplied stats to back up his point. "At what point does Ron Washington have no choice but to take Kinsler out of the leadoff spot?" Patrick asks. "I know he always says, 'I don't have a better option,' but unless he's just totally blind, then that's a lie. "Surely, Washington has access to this information. I know that stats aren't everything, but I didn't come up with this question based on stats. The stats basically backed up what my eyes (and everybody's eyes) have been telling me for ..."

Ian Kinsler trying to grind out of slump

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July 8

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

"It's too late now to give Ian Kinsler a game off, even though he could use a day on the bench to rest his body and his mind. The Texas Rangers are in the midst of a critical seven-game road trip against the teams directly ahead of them and behind them in the American League West standings. They need Kinsler in the lineup. The All-Star break is less than a week away, beginning as soon as the last out is made Sunday at Seattle. Kinsler will get the rest he needs then, even if he maintains his lead in the Sprint Final Vote and makes the AL All-Star team. So, there he was atop the lineup Tuesday at Angel Stadium, riding a 1-for-25 skid but making his 81st start as the Rangers played their 82nd ..."

Kinsler's power numbers no surprise to his teammates

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June 7

Dallas Morning News

"It's not as if Ian Kinsler has never shown pop in his bat. He had 20 homers in 2007 and 18 in 2008, seasons in which he missed significant stretches because of injury. But the second baseman didn't reach those totals until after the 100-game mark. He's at 55 games this season and is threatening to establish a career high in homers before the All-Star break. Kinsler hit No. 15 on Friday night, a three-run shot that helped the Rangers defeat Boston, 5-1, at Fenway Park. He leads all major league second basemen in homers and entered Saturday in the top 10 among all players. None of the Rangers seem overly surprised by the power surge, including Kinsler. He has more experience, more muscle ..."

Young, Kinsler out of lineup

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May 24

Dallas Morning News

"The 1-2 punch that normally jump-starts the Rangers' offense never made it to the field Saturday afternoon. Third baseman Michael Young was out with a sprained right ankle, and leadoff hitter Ian Kinsler was given his first day off this season. Young spent part of the morning at an area hospital getting X-rays and had a pair of crutches in his locker. Young received treatment and had the ankle heavily taped but couldn't run on it. "It's getting a lot better already," said Young, who was replaced by Hank Blalock. "I tried to run. It just wasn't responding. I couldn't put any weight on it to make it even feasible." Young, who hopes to play today, was injured in the first inning Friday. ..."

Kinsler, Andrus produce Texas Rangers' fifth triple play

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May 21

Dallas Morning News

"The Texas Rangers turned a defensive rarity in the fourth inning. Former Rangers catcher Gerald Laird was up with runners at first and second. They broke on a hit-and-run on an 0-1 pitch, and Laird hit a liner right to second baseman Ian Kinsler for the first out. He flipped to Elvis Andrus who was on second base for out No. 2, and Andrus tagged Ryan Rayburn to complete the triple play, the fifth in team history."

Jenks threw inside to 'send a message'

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May 11

MLB.com

"It is done all the time: A pitcher throws inside to deliver one of several possible messages to the opposition. But rarely does the pitcher confess to the intent. Well, count Chicago White Sox closer Bobby Jenks among the rare ones, after he fired a fastball behind Ian Kinsler with two outs in the ninth inning of Saturday's 3-2 victory over the Rangers. "Yeah, I wanted to go in and send a message, and I think that message was sent," Jenks said after he had finished up his seventh save in as many opportunities. "Basically, I was saying, 'I'm sick of seeing our guys get hit and hurt and almost get taken out of the game.' I threw it with intention." In their past four meetings with Texas ..."

Kinsler gets Texas Rangers off on right foot in win over White Sox

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May 4

Dallas Morning News

"For as much as the Texas Rangers are criticized for the trades they've made, two of their recent acquisitions were on display for a national television audience to see Sunday night. Neither Matt Harrison nor Elvis Andrus seemed fazed by the spotlight. The products of the Mark Teixeira trade with Atlanta in 2007 pitched and hit the Rangers past the Chicago White Sox, 5-1. With the victory, the Rangers crept back to the .500 mark and will head out on a seven-game road trip after a 3-2 homestand. Former Rangers prospect John Danks (2-2) pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing 10 hits and all five runs. The Rangers have been getting production from Andrus all season. The rookie continued to ..."

Hitting for the cycle on hot streak

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April 19

Chicago Tribune

columnist Phil Rogers

"Ian Kinsler walked to the plate in the sixth inning of Texas' game against Baltimore on Wednesday night. His thoughts were simple. "Get a triple," he said afterward, openly admitting how badly he wanted to hit for the cycle. Kinsler drove a 3-2 pitch from Brian Bass to deepest right-center field at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. He churned around the bases and dived headfirst into third base, completing the cycle — single, double, triple and home run — for the first time in his career. What were the odds? Kinsler has speed, so you would think maybe not that long. Yet when he went to the plate, he had only seven triples in 1,663 plate appearances — giving him a 1-in-238 chance to get the ..."

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April 18

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

"There was actually a drawback following Ian Kinsler's record-setting performance Wednesday night. The National Baseball Hall of Fame wanted Kinsler's jersey to display in the Hall and Kinsler wanted to keep it himself. Those are the kind of tough choices one has to make after becoming the first player since 1890 to go 6-for-6 and hit for the cycle in a nine-inning game. "You either keep it on your wall, or it's on the wall in the Hall of Fame," Kinsler said. "It's a tough decision to make. It would be real cool to take friends and family to the Hall of Fame and show them a display with my jersey in it, but at the same time it would also be real cool to have it on my wall." Kinsler decided ..."

Rangers spotlight: Ian Kinsler

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April 18

Dallas Morning News

"There was actually a drawback following Ian Kinsler's record-setting performance Wednesday night. The National Baseball Hall of Fame wanted Kinsler's jersey to display in the Hall, and Kinsler wanted to keep it. Those are the kind of tough choices one has to make after becoming the first player to go 6-for-6 and hit for the cycle in a nine-inning game since 1890. "You either keep it on your wall or it's on the wall in the Hall of Fame," Kinsler said. "It's a tough decision to make. It would be real cool to take friends and family to the Hall of Fame and show them a display with my jersey in it, but at the same time it would also be real cool to have it on my wall." Kinsler decided to ..."

Hall of Fame seeks item from Kinsler game

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April 17

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

"Ian Kinsler's record-setting night has caught the attention of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The Hall asked the Rangers Thursday about getting a game-used item of Kinsler's from his 6-for-6 performance. Kinsler hit for the cycle, scored five times and had three RBI in Wednesday's 19-6 victory over Baltimore. The Rangers and the HOF will determine the appropriate item in the next few days, which will then be on display at the Cooperstown, N.Y., site. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Kinsler became the first player in modern baseball history to go 6 for 6 and hit for the cycle in a nine-inning game. The last player to go 6-for-6 and hit for the cycle was Bill Weaver, who did for ..."

Rangers ride Ian Kinsler's cycle

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April 16

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

"Yeah, Ian Kinsler knew what he needed Wednesday night to hit for the cycle. Only a broken leg or an opposing tackler would keep the All-Star second baseman from going for a triple when he sent a fly ball deep over center fielder Adam Jones in the sixth inning. When the dust had settled from his head-first slide, he gave an emphatic clap, took a well-deserved deep breath and tried hard not to smile. Kinsler became only the fourth player in Rangers history to have a single, double, triple and home run in the same game. But why stop there? He doubled in the eighth for a 6-for-6 night, becoming the second player in team history to do that. Kinsler did it all on a day honoring a baseball legend ..."

Kinsler had triple in mind in sixth inning

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April 16

Dallas Morning News

"Ian Kinsler, moments after getting drenched with Michelob Ultra as he walked into the clubhouse following a 6-for-6 game that included a cycle, talked with a large throng of media waiting for him. He said that his first day in the majors was a special day, but Wednesday's feats have to be the top of his list of career achievements so far. Some of his quotes: "I knew I had an opportunity to hit for the cycle walking up for my at-bat in the sixth," Kinsler said. "When I hit that ball, I was just hoping for it to get over his head and then when it got over his head, I was hoping for it to rattle around. I wasn't going to stop at second regardless of if he came up with it clean. I was going to ..."

Ian Kinsler hits for cycle on a 6-hit night

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April 16

Dallas Morning News

"He hit a triple in the sixth inning to get his first career cycle. He hit a double in the first, homer in the third, single in the fourth and the triple. Wow. He's the first to do it since Gary Matthews Jr. in 2006. Kinsler is also the first strictly right-handed batter to hit for the cycle in Rangers history. It's the sixth ever cycle in Arlington and the fourth in Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. The last cycle in a Baltimore-Rangers game was Cal Ripken Jr. in 1984."

Rangers' Kinsler healthy, ready to go

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January 10

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

"It's been a busy few months for Texas Rangers All-Star Ian Kinsler. Kinsler had the first major surgery of his life last September, which ended his best big-league season. That injury also cost him a possible berth in the World Baseball Classic. Then in December his wife Tess gave birth to the couple's first child, daughter Rian. So what's been the toughest part of the off-season, recovery from surgery or waking up with Rian? "Probably the baby," Kinsler joked. "It's been a lot of fun. I'm trying to help the wife as much as possible, take care of the baby and change a diaper here and there." Kinsler is going to be adding more activity to his life soon, as he's preparing for spring ..."

Season over for Texas Rangers' Ian Kinsler

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September 5

Dallas Morning News

"Ian Kinsler's season is officially done. Kinsler said Thursday he will undergo surgery to repair a sports hernia in his abdominal wall. Kinsler, who has been on the disabled list since Aug. 18, had been trying to come back without having a surgical procedure but continued to feel soreness when he tried to run. Dr. John Preskitt will perform the surgery Thursday. Kinsler said he should be able to run full speed in six to eight weeks, which should not significantly hamper his traditional off-season conditioning program. "The doctor said the progress I was making just wasn't significant enough and if you don't have surgery for this, it's something you are always going to be dealing with," ..."

Texas Rangers' Kinsler decides on season-ending surgery

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September 5

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

"Texas Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler has decided to undergo season-ending surgery for a sports hernia he suffered Aug. 17 against Tampa Bay, general manager Jon Daniels said. "Having the surgery now should allow him to have most of the off-season to prepare for 2009," Daniels said. "Ian said all along that his top priority was to make sure this didn't affect him at all next year." The Rangers leave Monday for a six-game road trip to Seattle and Oakland, and it is likely that Kinsler will have the surgery next week."

Texas Rangers' Kinsler is feeling better

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August 20

Dallas Morning News

"All-Star second baseman Ian Kinsler said Tuesday he will wait two weeks to see how his sports hernia responds before deciding how to proceed. Kinsler visited specialist Dr. John Preskitt on Tuesday at Baylor Medical Center in Dallas and learned he didn't have any torn muscles or ligaments in the groin. "He thinks it's just a strain," Kinsler said. "Just like any other muscle, it's going to take time for it to recover, and it's in a tender spot in your body, so it's obviously going to take a little more time." Kinsler left Sunday's game against Tampa Bay with the injury. For now, the Rangers will use Joaquin Arias and Ramon Vasquez at second base. Kinsler said he felt better Tuesday. "I ..."

Texas Rangers still lag in arms race

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August 19

Dallas Morning News

"It wasn't enough that the Rangers fell completely, positively, no more questions asked, out of the wild-card race last week, going from seven games behind Boston to 9 1/2. It wasn't enough that they did it by losing five of six games with what was, even for them, embarrassing starting pitching. On Monday, they lost Ian Kinsler, in all probability for the season. Kinsler wasn't contributing much, anyway. He was just the major league leader in hits and runs scored and second in the American League in extra-base hits and total bases and, despite the calendar showing Aug. 18, already had established career highs in hits, runs, and runs batted in. But among all the clouds that hovered over ..."

Tucson's Kinsler an improbable star for Rangers

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July 20

Arizona Republic

"Keith Francis got in late last Tuesday, flipping on the television just in time to catch a couple All-Star at-bats from one of the kids he had coached years ago in high school. It was quite a moment. "I'm just really happy for Ian, basically because I think a lot of people shortchanged him," the former Tucson Canyon Del Oro assistant coach said the next day. "Some guys have a chip on their shoulder, and I think Ian is one of those people. It's kind of like he's saying, 'Hey, look at me now.' I think that's what drives him to be what he is." Ian Kinsler of the Texas Rangers is generating American League MVP discussion. Entering the second half, he led the AL in hitting (.337) and ..."

Kinsler's streak halted

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July 20

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

"An 0-for-4 showing Friday brought the longest hitting streak in baseball this season to an end, but Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler said Saturday he’s ready to start another. The run matched the second-longest in club history and is another impressive number posted this season by the first-time All-Star. Kinsler continues to pace the American League in several categories, including average, hits and runs."

Ian Kinsler has many memorable moments at Yankee Stadium

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July 16

New York Daily News

"Ian Kinsler remembers three things from his first trip to Yankee Stadium when he was seven years old: "The Stadium, Don Mattingly hit a home run and the doctor saying, 'We gave him the wrong shots, he needs different ones.'" Kinsler, the Texas' All-Star whose father grew up in the Bronx as a Yankee fan, had a "huge asthma attack" that night in the upper deck and was taken to a local hospital in an ambulance. Once doctors got the right shots into him, "I was alright, got sent home and was out like a light." Another visit was eventful, too - he and his family came to the Bronx again when Kinsler was a teenager and sat for two hours in a rain delay. Everyone decided to return to ..."

In a season of great stories, Kinsler ranks as best of all

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July 11

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

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All-Star? Texas Rangers' Kinsler deserves it

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June 4

Dallas Morning News

columnist Evan Grant

"Less than 50 days until the All-Star game and the endless beating that we'll have to endure about how much history there is at Yankee Stadium. Lou Gehrig played there. Joe DiMaggio hit there. Mickey Mantle did everything there. Billy Martin drank there. Reggie Jackson preened. George Steinbrenner fumed. Well, you get the picture. But before all that hoopla begins, can there be any doubt that a Ranger belongs on the AL club as a starter having the best offensive year at his position? I know you can make a pretty good case for Josh Hamilton, but I was talking about Ian Kinsler."