Game 153: Sep 24, 1999 (W: 12-4)
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My Commentary

Aaron Sele notched his 18th win of the year (one less than last season) today with a bombing of the Oakland A's.  There was much doubt coming into this game whether or not the Rangers had "lost it".  We had a really bad funk against a bunch of teams we should have crushed.  We lost most of those games, and some (myself too I admit) were wondering if the Rangers were just going to back into the playoffs with no spirit.  That was certainly answered with a vengeance tonight!

Sele pitched very well, allowing only 1 run (unearned) over 7 innings and allowing only 5 hits.  He looked again to be our best pitcher this year, and that worries me a bit, as he only signed a 1 year deal after last season, and is our highest paid pitcher.  I really hope we make a big effort to resign him for 2000 (and possibly 01 and 02, too), otherwise we'll have even more pitching problems in the off season.

It was a fairly quiet game through the first four and a half innings.  The A's had scored an unearned run in the top of the second, but that was it until we broke through in the bottom of the fifth.  We busted out with four runs that inning, capped by a Juan Gonzalez two run home run.   That was nice, but not as nice as what happened in the 6th.   After putting the A's down, we went back out on offense in a big way by hitting two more two run home runs (one by Royce Clayton, and a second one by Juan Gonzalez).  That put us up 10-1, and pretty much that was the game.  We scored one more run in each of the 7th and 8th innings, and Oakland scored 3 in the final two frames, but the game was over after the sixth.  One of these other runs was a third home run by Juan Gonzalez, the first time he's had a 3 home run game since 1993 - 6 years ago!   It was awesome to watch - Juan even came out of the dugout to wave to the fans.

A great start to this series, winning 12-4.  Perhaps Rafael Palmeiro's little speech got the team going.  Doesn't matter what got them going, they got it going!  :)

-- Joe Siegler

Game Recap

ARLINGTON, TEXAS (TICKER) -- For one night, Juan Gonzalez and the Texas Rangers are perfectly linked by the number three.

Gonzalez homered three times as the Rangers moved closer to claiming another American League West title with a 12-4 pounding of the Oakland Athletics that snapped a three-game losing streak.

The reigning Most Valuable Player in the American League, Gonzalez turned the opener of the three-game series with the Athletics into his own personal showcase as the Rangers snapped a three-game slide.

Gonzalez belted two-run homers in the fifth and sixth innings and added a solo shot two innings later to help the Rangers reduce their magic number for clinching their second straight AL West title to three.

It was third career three-homer game for Gonzalez, who finished with four hits.

"The last month or so I've been trying too hard," Gonzalez said. "But I've been working on my mechanics. Tonight they were much, much better."

Texas won the West in 1996 and again last year. It could win the division again this season with victories over the A's the next two days.

The loss pushed the A's 6 1/2 games back in the AL West. They remained 4 1/2 games behind Boston in the wild card race.

"There is another team in this race and that team (Boston) lost tonight," Oakland manager Art Howe said. "We let this opportunity slip by. We have been looking for help elsewhere but now we have to win to make up ground."

Aided by Gonzalez's homers in consecutive innings, the Rangers turned a 1-0 deficit into a 10-1 advantage by scoring four times in the fifth and six times in the next frame.

"The whole ballclub feels relieved," Texas manager Johnny Oates said. "I thought everyone was pressing the first four innings. Then all of a sudden we got things going and showed the confidence we've shown all year."

"For four innings it was a great game but you have to play five more and we didn't do that," Howe said.

Ivan Rodriguez went 4-for-5 with two RBI and Royce Clayton added three hits, including a two-run homer, as the Rangers banged out 18 hits.

Aaron Sele (18-8) was the beneficiary of the offensive outburst and continued to serve as the ace of the Rangers' staff. The righthander gave up an unearned run and five hits over seven innings, walking three and striking out five.

Sele, who is second to only Pedro Martinez in the AL in wins, has won 11 of his last 13 decisions.

"I don't think this team needs any refocusing," Sele said. "We play hard every night and want to win games late in the season, especially against the second-place team."

Matt Stairs and Mike Macfarlane hit solo homers for Oakland, which has dropped three of its last four games.

Oakland starter Gil Heredia (13-8) was tagged for six runs and 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings. He walked two and struck out three.

A throwing error by Rodriguez, who has won the Gold Glove the last seven years at catcher, allowed the A's to score the game's first run in the second.

Heredia held the Rangers off the board until the fifth. Clayton led off with a double, was sacrificed to third and scored on Mark McLemore's single. McLemore advanced to second on Stairs' error in right field and Rodriguez followed with an RBI single of his own to give the Rangers the lead for good.

Gonzalez extended the advantage to 4-1 by belting his first homer over the left-field wall.

Sparked by that inning, the Rangers put the game out of reach in the sixth. Lee Stevens reached on a one-out infield hit and Clayton smacked his 12th homer.

The Rangers were not done as McLemore and Rodriguez each plated runs with infield hits and Gonzalez belted his second homer, making it 10-1.

Clayton delivered an RBI single in the seventh before the A's got two runs back in the next frame. Giambi knocked in a run with a groundout and Stairs smacked his 38th homer.

"They came out and kicked our butts," Giambi said. "We made it tough on ourselves now."

Gonzalez connected for his 38th homer in the bottom of the inning and the A's got their final run in the ninth on Macfarlane's fourth homer.

It was Gonzalez's 38th career multi-homer game and fifth this season..

Recap #2

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- After carrying the Texas Rangers to their first two division titles, it's only fitting that Juan Gonzalez has put them on the brink of a third crown.

Gonzalez ended a power drought with three home runs and five RBI, and Aaron Sele earned his 18th win as Texas snapped a three-game losing skid with a 12-4 victory over second-place Oakland on Friday night.

Texas increased its lead to 6½ games and trimmed its magic number to three. The Rangers can clinch a tie with a victory Saturday night, then could wrap up their third division crown in four years with a victory Sunday.

"I think the whole ballclub feels relieved," said Rangers manager Johnny Oates, whose team opened this homestand 1-4 against teams with losing records.

Gonzalez -- the AL's MVP in 1998 and '96, Texas' other title years -- hasn't been as big of a factor this summer. The talk now is whether Ivan Rodriguez or Rafael Palmeiro is a better MVP choice.

But Gonzalez can still be one of the best power hitters in the game, as he proved with three swings in fifth, sixth and eighth innings. He has 37 homers and 121 RBIs this season.

"I've waited a long time for a big night," said Gonzalez, who had one homer and three RBI over his last 13 games. "Tonight was special because it was a big game for us. This was a big win."

The A's were playing their fourth game in three days and three time zones. Oakland was home Wednesday, then split a doubleheader Thursday in Baltimore. The team arrived in Texas in the wee hours Friday.

The A's actually led 1-0 going into the bottom of the fifth, then starter Gil Heredia (13-8) fell apart and his road-weary teammates quickly joined him.

"They came out and kicked our butts," said Oakland's Jason Giambi. "We've made it tough on ourselves now."

The A's also missed a chance to make up a game in the wild-card race as Boston lost 1-0 to Baltimore. The Red Sox are up by 4 1/2 games and have a magic number of five.

"We looked for help elsewhere and got it," Oakland manager Art Howe said. "But we have to win to make up ground."

The Rangers knew the head-to-head meeting with their closest rival meant it was up to them whether the division race would tighten or widen.

But the pressure seemed to get to them early.

Rodriguez made a throwing error that gave Oakland a run in the second inning. Mark McLemore was thrown out trying to stretch a leadoff double into a triple in the third.

"The first four innings we really pressing," Oates said. "Everyone was trying to hit a five-run homer."

Royce Clayton got things started with a leadoff double as Texas scored four in the fifth. His two-run homer triggered a six-run sixth and he had an RBI single in the seventh. The Rangers' final run came on Gonzalez's third homer in the eighth.

Gonzalez had two-run homers in the fifth and sixth to nearly the same spot in the left-field seats. His final blast was higher and more toward the foul pole.

Although there was no doubt about any of them, he didn't celebrate until the third one. He slowed to admire it, pumped his fists and smiled toward the dugout to savor the third three-homer game of his career.

The crowd of 40,207 gave him a standing ovation and they remained on their feet until he came out of the dugout one pitch later. One fan even threw a cap onto the field in honor of baseball's version of a hat trick.

The A's aided Texas' outburst with some shoddy fielding: an error by right-fielder Matt Stairs on a slow-rolling ball, a throwing error by catcher Mike Macfarlane, a wild pitch by reliever Buddy Groom and someone's failure to cover first base on a suicide squeeze bunt.

Sele (18-8) allowed only an unearned run over seven innings. He gave up five hits, struck out five and walked two. His sixth victory in seven decisions makes him second to Boston's Pedro Martinez for wins in the AL.

The A's scored twice in the eighth off reliever Tim Crabtree on an RBI groundout by Giambi and a solo homer by Matt Stairs. Mike Macfarlane hit a solo homer in the ninth.

Texas' Rusty Greer played his first full game since suffering a bruised retina in pre-game warmups on Sept. 13. He went 0-for-5, striking out looking twice. He also made a nice diving catch of a Stairs blooper. 

GAME NOTES: Gonzalez's previous three-homer game was in 1994 against Seattle. This was the 10th three-homer game in club history; no Ranger has ever hit four. ... Gonzalez had only nine homers all season at The Ballpark, just four since the All-Star break. ... Oakland's Randy Velarde had multiple hits for the 22nd time in 46 games. ... Clayton has homered three times in four games, giving him 12 on the season. His previous career high was nine each of the last two seasons. ... Oakland's Chad Harville threw only nine pitches, straining his right hamstring on the final one.   

Photos
(Click on any of them for a larger image)

Royce Clayton makes a throw to first	Oakland manager Art Howe gets upset at a balk call	Mac is thrown out trying to stretch a double into a triple	Juan getting congrats after one of his home runs	Juan waves to the crowd after his third home run

Box Score

Line Score
AL  FINAL
                    1  2  3   4  5  6   7  8  9     R  H  E
                    -  -  -   -  -  -   -  -  -     -  -  -
OAKLAND             0  1  0   0  0  0   0  2  1     4  8  2
TEXAS               0  0  0   0  4  6   1  1  x    12 18  2   (FINAL)

BATTERIES:  OAK - GIL HEREDIA, BUDDY GROOM (6TH), GREG MCMICHAEL
                  (6TH), CHAD HARVILLE (6TH), TIM KUBINSKI (7TH)
                  AND MIKE MACFARLANE
            TEX - AARON SELE, TIM CRABTREE (8TH), JEFF ZIMMERMAN
                  (9TH) AND IVAN RODRIGUEZ

             WP - AARON SELE (18-8)
             LP - GIL HEREDIA (13-8)
           SAVE - NONE

HOME RUNS:  OAK - MATT STAIRS (38) OFF CRABTREE IN THE 8TH, 0 ON
                  MIKE MACFARLANE (4) OFF JE ZIMMERMAN IN THE 9TH, 0 ON
            TEX - JUAN GONZALEZ (35) OFF G HEREDIA IN THE 5TH, 1 ON
                  ROYCE CLAYTON (12) OFF G HEREDIA IN THE 6TH, 1 ON
                  JUAN GONZALEZ (36) OFF G MCMICHAEL IN THE 6TH, 1 ON
                  JUAN GONZALEZ (37) OFF KUBINSKI IN THE 8TH, 0 ON

     TIME:  3:01     ATT:  40,207

PROBABLES:  OAK - KEVIN APPIER (15-13, 4.96)
            TEX - JOHN BURKETT (7-8, 6.03)

Box Score
OAKLAND (4) AT TEXAS (12) - FINAL

OAKLAND                ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
Becker cf               5  0  0  0   0  3   1  .272
R Velarde 2b            4  1  3  0   0  0   1  .314
Ja Giambi 1b            3  0  0  1   1  1   1  .317
 Saenz 1b               0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .276
Jaha dh                 3  1  0  0   1  0   2  .270
Stairs rf               3  1  2  1   1  0   0  .261
 Ja Mcdonald rf         0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .205
Grieve lf               4  0  1  0   0  1   1  .266
Tejada ss               4  0  0  0   0  0   3  .247
Chavez 3b               4  0  0  0   0  1   1  .256
Macfarlane c            4  1  2  1   0  0   0  .241

Totals                 34  4  8  3   3  6  10

BATTING: 2B - Stairs (26, Sele); Macfarlane (16, Sele). 3B -
R Velarde (7, Crabtree). HR - Stairs (38, 8th inning off Crabtree
0 on, 2 out); Macfarlane (4, 9th inning off Je Zimmerman 0 on,
2 out). RBI - Ja Giambi (119), Stairs (102), Macfarlane (31).
2-out RBI - Stairs, Macfarlane. Runners left in scoring position,
2 out - Chavez 1, Jaha 1, R Velarde 1, Tejada 1. Team LOB - 6.

BASERUNNING: CS - R Velarde (8, 3rd base by Sele/I Rodriguez).

FIELDING: E - Stairs (6, bobble); Macfarlane (1, throw).
Outfield assists - Becker (Mclemore at 3rd base).
DP: 1 (G Heredia-Tejada-Ja Giambi).

TEXAS                  ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
Mclemore 2b             5  2  3  2   0  2   1  .274
I Rodriguez c           5  2  4  2   0  0   0  .334
Greer lf                5  0  0  0   0  2   4  .299
J Gonzalez rf           5  3  4  5   0  0   1  .320
R Palmeiro dh           3  0  0  0   2  0   0  .334
Zeile 3b                5  0  1  0   0  0   2  .293
L Stevens 1b            5  2  2  0   0  0   1  .287
Clayton ss              3  2  3  3   1  0   0  .281
T Goodwin cf            3  1  1  0   0  1   3  .247

Totals                 39 12 18 12   3  5  12

BATTING: 2B - Zeile (40, G Heredia); Mclemore (20, G Heredia);
Clayton (19, G Heredia); L Stevens (30, C Harville). HR - J Gonzalez 3
(37, 5th inning off G Heredia 1 on, 2 out, 6th inning off G Mcmichael
1 on, 2 out, 8th inning off Kubinski 0 on, 0 out); Clayton (12, 6th inning
off G Heredia 1 on, 1 out). S - T Goodwin. RBI - Mclemore 2 (44),
I Rodriguez 2 (107), J Gonzalez 5 (121), Clayton 3 (49). 2-out RBI -
J Gonzalez 4. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - J Gonzalez 1,
T Goodwin 1, L Stevens 1, Greer 1. GIDP - Zeile. Team LOB - 7.

BASERUNNING: SB - T Goodwin (37, 2nd base off Groom/Macfarlane);
Mclemore (16, 3rd base off Groom/Macfarlane).

FIELDING: E - Clayton (22, throw); I Rodriguez (7, throw).

OAKLAND                      ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
G Heredia (L, 13-8)           5 1/3  10   6   6   2   3   2   4.73
Groom                           1/3   3   3   3   0   0   0   5.24
G Mcmichael                   0       1   1   1   1   0   1   5.79
C Harville                      1/3   1   1   1   0   0   0   6.91
Kubinski                      2       3   1   1   0   2   1   5.59

TEXAS                        ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
Sele (W, 18-8)                7       5   1   0   3   5   0   4.64
Crabtree                      1       2   2   2   0   0   1   3.39
Je Zimmerman                  1       1   1   1   0   1   1   2.21

G Mcmichael pitched to 2 batters in the 6th.
C Harville pitched to 1 batter in the 7th.

WP - Groom. BALK - G Heredia.  Pitches-strikes: Sele 117-67;
Crabtree 17-11; Je Zimmerman 18-11; G Heredia 79-50; Groom 12-8;
G Mcmichael 9-4; C Harville 9-5; Kubinski 28-19.  Ground balls-
fly balls: Sele 9-6; Crabtree 2-1; Je Zimmerman 1-1; G Heredia
10-2; Groom 1-0; G Mcmichael 0-0; C Harville 0-1; Kubinski 1-3.
Batters faced: Sele 28; Crabtree 5; Je Zimmerman 4; G Heredia 26;
Groom 4; G Mcmichael 2; C Harville 3; Kubinski 8.

UMPIRES: HP--Dan Morrison. 1B--Fieldin Culbreth. 2B--Larry Young.
3B--Marty Foster.
T--3:01.  Att--40,207.   Weather: 83 degrees, cloudy.   Wind: 20 mph,
in from right.

AL       OAKLAND AT TEXAS
         NOTE:  OAKLAND'S CHAD HARVILLE LEFT THE GAME IN THE BOTTOM OF
                THE SEVENTH INNING WITH A STRAINED RIGHT HAMSTRING.

Game Log

Oakland Starting Lineups -- Rich Becker CF, Randy Velarde 2B, Jason Giambi 1B, John Jaha DH, Matt Stairs RF, Ben Grieve LF, Miguel Tejada SS, Eric Chavez 3B, Mike Macfarlane C, Gil Heredia RHP.

Texas Starting Lineups -- Mark Mclemore 2B, Ivan Rodriguez C, Rusty Greer LF, Juan Gonzalez RF, Rafael Palmeiro DH, Todd Zeile 3B, Lee Stevens 1B, Royce Clayton SS, Tom Goodwin CF, Aaron Sele RHP.

Umpires -- Morrison (HP), Culbreth (1B), Young (2B), Foster (3B).

Gametime Weather: 83 degrees, Cloudy, wind in from right at 20 mph.

OAKLAND 1ST: Becker lined out to right. R Velarde reached on infield single. R Velarde to second on shortstop Clayton's throwing error. Ja Giambi struck out swinging. R Velarde caught stealing, catcher to third. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 1 Error) OAKLAND 0, TEXAS 0.

TEXAS 1ST: Mclemore struck out looking. I Rodriguez singled to center. I Rodriguez to second on balk by G Heredia. Greer struck out looking. J Gonzalez flied out to center. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 0, TEXAS 0.

OAKLAND 2ND: Jaha walked. Stairs doubled to left, Jaha to third. Jaha scored, Stairs to third on catcher I Rodriguez's throwing error. Grieve struck out looking. Tejada popped out to first. Chavez lined out to right. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 1 Error) OAKLAND 1, TEXAS 0.

TEXAS 2ND: R Palmeiro grounded out to second. Zeile doubled to right. L Stevens grounded out to second, Zeile to third. Clayton walked. T Goodwin grounded out to first. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 1, TEXAS 0.

OAKLAND 3RD: Macfarlane grounded out to second. Becker struck out swinging. R Velarde singled to center. Ja Giambi walked, R Velarde to second. Jaha grounded out to pitcher. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 1, TEXAS 0.

TEXAS 3RD: Mclemore doubled to right center, Mclemore out stretching at third. I Rodriguez grounded out to shortstop. Greer grounded out to first. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 1, TEXAS 0.

OAKLAND 4TH: Stairs flied out to shallow left. Grieve grounded out to second. Tejada grounded out to third. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 1, TEXAS 0.

TEXAS 4TH: J Gonzalez singled to left. R Palmeiro walked, J Gonzalez to second. Zeile grounded into double play, pitcher to shortstop to first, R Palmeiro out at second, J Gonzalez to third. L Stevens grounded out to pitcher. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 1, TEXAS 0.

OAKLAND 5TH: Chavez grounded out to first. Macfarlane doubled to left center. Becker struck out looking. R Velarde grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 1, TEXAS 0.

TEXAS 5TH: Clayton doubled to left. T Goodwin sacrificed Clayton to third. Mclemore singled to right, Clayton scored. Mclemore to second on right fielder Stairs' fielding error. I Rodriguez singled to center, Mclemore scored. Greer struck out looking. J Gonzalez homered to left, I Rodriguez scored. R Palmeiro grounded out to first. (4 Runs, 4 Hits, 1 Error) OAKLAND 1, TEXAS 4.

OAKLAND 6TH: Ja Giambi flied out to deep center. Jaha grounded out to second. Stairs walked. Grieve singled to center, Stairs to third. Tejada grounded out to third. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 1, TEXAS 4.

TEXAS 6TH: Zeile flied out to left. L Stevens reached on infield single. Clayton homered to center, L Stevens scored. Buddy Groom relieved Gil Heredia. T Goodwin singled to right. T Goodwin stole second. T Goodwin to third on catcher Macfarlane's throwing error. Mclemore reached on bunt single to pitcher, T Goodwin scored. Mclemore to second on Groom wild pitch. Mclemore stole third. I Rodriguez reached on infield single, Mclemore scored. Greer grounded out to second, I Rodriguez to second. Greg Mcmichael relieved Buddy Groom. J Gonzalez homered to left, I Rodriguez scored. R Palmeiro walked. Chad Harville relieved Greg Mcmichael. Zeile lined out to center. (6 Runs, 6 Hits, 1 Error) OAKLAND 1, TEXAS 10.

OAKLAND 7TH: Chavez flied out to left. Macfarlane grounded out to third. Becker struck out looking. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 1, TEXAS 10.

TEXAS 7TH: L Stevens doubled to right. Tim Kubinski relieved Chad Harville. Clayton singled to center, L Stevens scored. T Goodwin struck out looking. Mclemore struck out looking. I Rodriguez singled to left, Clayton to second. Greer grounded out to second. (1 Run, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 1, TEXAS 11.

OAKLAND 8TH: Tim Crabtree relieved Aaron Sele. R Velarde tripled to right center. Ja Giambi grounded out to first, R Velarde scored. Jaha lined out to center. Stairs homered to center. Grieve grounded out to second. (2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 3, TEXAS 11.

TEXAS 8TH: Saenz at first. Ja Mcdonald in right. J Gonzalez homered to left. R Palmeiro fouled out to catcher. Zeile flied out to shallow center. L Stevens flied out to shallow right. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 3, TEXAS 12.

OAKLAND 9TH: Jeff Zimmerman relieved Tim Crabtree. Tejada grounded out to shortstop. Chavez struck out swinging. Macfarlane homered to left. Becker popped out to first. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 4, TEXAS 12.