BALTIMORE – Michael Young joined the major leagues for good on May 25, 2001, in Baltimore. Ever since, it seems like weird stuff has been happening to the Rangers when they visit Charm City.

"There must be something in the crabcakes," Young said.

So don't be surprised if something strange happens at Camden Yards this weekend, when the Rangers make their first visit since last year's record-breaking 30-3 shellacking of the Orioles.

That strange August day began with Orioles interim manager Dave Trembley being awarded a permanent gig. It ended with the Rangers scoring 39 runs, setting the modern-day record for runs scored in the first game of a doubleheader and winning the second, 9-7. Amazingly, the second half of the 6:49 doubleheader took longer than the record-breaking first game.

"I don't know that we've really spent a lot of time talking about [the 30-3 win]," Young said. "Maybe because it was the first game of a doubleheader, we didn't really have a lot of time to think about it. We had another game to play."

Well, here are some of the particulars: The Rangers fell behind by three runs, then proceeded to score the next 30. Every Rangers starter had at least two hits. The one player who entered the game late, Travis Metcalf, had a grand slam in his only at-bat. Nos. 8-9 hitters Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Ramon Vazquez each had seven RBIs.

The Rangers scored 16 runs in the final two innings off Rob Bell and Paul Shuey. Vazquez's two-out, three-run homer off Shuey in the ninth provided the final runs.

"It's the only time in my career I've felt kind of sorry for the pitcher," Vazquez said. "I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. The at-bat before, he struck me out, and I didn't want to strike out again. All I remember was hitting that ball and hearing the crowd roar. It was like a playoff game in Texas when they saw the 30 go up on the board. It was weird."

Briefly: Oklahoma OF Nelson Cruz has been named a Pacific Coast League All-Star for the Triple-A All-Star Game July 16 in Louisville, Ky. Cruz is hitting .348 with 25 home runs and 70 RBIs.

The Rangers' 30-run outburst in Baltimore last year was only the latest chapter in strange Orioles-Rangers history. Consider these other moments:

APRIL 28, 2000: Jeff Zimmerman was charged with a walk-off balk in the bottom of the ninth of a 4-3 Baltimore win.

JULY 18, 2001: A train wreck outside Camden Yards sent hydrochloric acid fumes spilling into a tunnel near the stadium. The second half of a day-night doubleheader was postponed due to, um, toxic fumes. Talk about your strange occurrences: The Rangers won the one game that was played, 9-7, on the strength of a Ricky Ledee three-run homer and a save by Mike Venafro.

SEPT. 3, 2002: Aaron Myette threw the first two pitches of the game behind Melvin Mora and was ejected. Myette had hit Mora in Texas five days earlier, and Rafael Palmeiro had been hit in retaliation. After Myette was ejected, Todd Van Poppel and Joaquin Benoit combined to take a no-hitter to the ninth inning before Jerry Hairston Jr. slapped a leadoff triple. At the scorer's discretion, Van Poppel, who pitched only two innings, got the win and Benoit the save, making it the longest save (seven innings) in major league history.

SEPT. 4, 2002: Myette started again against Baltimore, making him the first pitcher in 22 years to start on consecutive days.

Evan Grant