It is perhaps the most exciting moment in a Texas Rangers game. It is not the first pitch. It is not the moment the Rangers walk off the field victorious. It is not Ian Kinsler stealing a base, Elvis Andrus turning a thrilling play, Josh Hamilton depositing a home run in the upper deck. Nor is it the Texas Legends race.

It is the Pizza Hit, delivering half-off pizza to all of Dallas-Ft. Worth.





Every time the Rangers score seven runs, the promo code Rangers7 will get you Papa John's pizza for half-price. Fortunately for Rangers fans, Texas has accomplished the feat 60 times in 2011. More than 37% of their games played have ended with half-off pizza.

With that in mind, here are the 2011 Pizza Hit leaders for the Rangers; the hitters who have most often brought home the seventh run in a game.

1. Josh Hamilton, 9

2. Adrian Beltre, 8

3. Michael Young, 7

t4. Ian Kinsler, 6

t4. David Murphy, 6

t6. Elvis Andrus, 5

t6. Mitch Moreland, 5

t8. Mike Napoli, 4

t8. Yorvit Torrealba, 4

10. Nelson Cruz, 3

t11. Endy Chavez, 1

t11. Craig Gentry, 1

t11. Esteban German, 1

Note that this list includes: a Pizza Walk from Moreland; Pizza Sacrifice Flies from Hamilton, Kinsler, Torrealba, and Young (twice); Pizza Reached on Errors by Torrealba, Hamilton, and Moreland; and Pizza Ground Outs by Hamilton and Andrus. Hamilton and Andrus each had walk-off Pizza Hits.

As you can see, last night's game was more significant than merely keeping ahead of the Tigers or trying a franchise record in wins. As the seventh run came off the bat of Adrian Beltre, he kept alive his hopes of tying Josh Hamilton for the most Pizza Hits in 2011. Should Beltre come up to the plate with a shot of bringing home the Pizza Run today, it will be high drama indeed.

I think what we can glean from the information here is this: if consuming food is as important to the human existence as scientists want us to believe, than Josh Hamilton should clearly be winning his second consecutive American League Most Valuable Player award.