Listened to this game at work today as it was a day game. I listened over the Internet as opposed to the radio that’s sitting on my desk. Somehow it just seems “cooler” that way. :)
Anyway… This was very much a game of records. Check these things out:
- This was shutout #9 for Rangers pitching this season.
- We set a franchise record for wins with 95.
- Juan hit a home run, giving him 39. He needs one more for 4 straight years of 40 HR’s.
- We now have 936 runs scored as a team, which is 4 shy of our own record.
- The team ERA is just a shade under 5 now.
- John Burkett had his first winning season since 1993, when he went 22-7 with the Giants with a 9-8 record this year.
John Burkett sounded dominating, as did the three relievers (Crabtree, Zimmerman, & Venafro). Between the four, they only allowed 4 hits (3 by Burkett, one by Venafro) over 9 innings, and 8 strikeouts and 3 walks. It was an extraordinarily well pitched game. The radio guys were spooging over Zimmerman saying his slider looked like the best he’d thrown all season. Burkett managed to pitch out a jam later in his appearance where the Mariners were threatening to tie up the game (it was 2-0 then). He looked really good, and again, he pitched well in the end of the year, and I suspect we’ll probably pick up his option for 2000 and invite him to spring training. Of course, that’s depending on what happens in the off-season, I’m sure.
This is the end of the home season at the Ballpark in Arlington. We finished up with 51 wins at home for the season (out of 81 home dates, I believe). We went 7-5 for the final homestand, shutting out Seattle twice in the last three games.
We got out early with a Lee Stevens solo home run in the bottom of the second, and that was the game winning hit – we didn’t need anything more. Juan Gonzalez followed up with another solo home run in the bottom of the third. We got three in the 6th, and two in the 7th to close out the scoring. Was a nice spread, with Lee Stevens getting another RBI, and Tom Goodwin getting a couple, while Pudge chimed in again as usual.
We head to Anaheim for the final three games of the season. Given the way Anaheim has been playing, I wonder if we can’t get to 98 wins out there. :)