No real commentary here either – I was watching Monday Night Football. I checked in during the Ranger game from time to time, but there wasn’t much going on.
Rick Helling was the hard luck loser in a game that really was the Joe Mays show. We got shut down 3-1 by the Twins, who have surprisingly had our number this year. After beating the Twins every single game in 1999, it certainly feels like it’s a complete opposite this year.
Gabe Kapler continues to hit the ball well, going 2 for 3 and a walk. His average is now .306. I really hope he keeps it together at the start of next year. I’ve seen too many players figure it all out, get good at the end of the season, only to totally lose themselves the start of the next year.
G150: Rangers top Royals 6-5
No commentary on this game, as I was driving back to Dallas from Houston when the game was on.
Was nice to see in the box scores a gob more RBI’s for Kapler, though. :)
G149: Rangers out of playoff contention with 8-5 loss
The Rangers were officially eliminated from playoff contention tonight with this loss. Anyone surprised? :)
I didn’t see or hear any of this game, as I was in Houston checking out the new Enron Field (which has some things that are better than the Ballpark – and some worse, but it was an awesome park, an awesome night for baseball, too).
G148: Rangers win wild one against Royals, 12-11
Now this game I was at. I drove to the game actually not knowing who was starting for the Rangers, which is odd for me – as I’m usually up on this. Been rather busy with a few things of late, and haven’t been paying as much attention to the Rangers at this stage of the game (let’s say that a crappy season wears on the fan web sites too – it’s hard to write about a bad team as much. I suppose if I was getting paid for it, I’d be doing it, but since I do this for my own fun, eh..
Anyway, when I found out that Darren Oliver was pitching, I thought “OH god, we’ll be down 7-2 by the fourth”. Well, guess what? We weren’t. Darren actually pitched well, and looked like he belonged here. Darren gave up a bunch of hits, but seemed to get the outs when he needed ’em. When he came out of the game, I felt like he could have stayed in – which was an odd feeling for 2000 – or for 1998, too. :D However, our bullpen was crap. Darwin Cubillan was totally ineffective, and when Jeff Zimmerman came on, he inherited three baserunners. One pitch later, and all four were home, along with the batter – a first pitch salami ball to Damon. Mike Venafro, who came in later, threw one pitch – that pitch hitting Damon (who later scored). What a mess.
We blew our rather large lead, which we had built up with a 5 run first, and a few runs over the next few for a 9-1 lead in the top of the 6th. Our first five batters all scored – it was 5-0 with no outs in the bottom of the first, and with no outs, too! After the fifth, we were up 9-1, and life was feeling pretty good. Then the rails fell off – we gave up a 7 spot in the top of the 6th to bring the Royals to within one. We then topped off the fiasco with two more runs in the top of the 8th, giving the Royals a lead – setting up the worst loss we’d ever given up a lead to get.
However, we came through with one run in the bottom of the 9th. Just when we were feeling good about ourselves again, the Royals went and got yet another run in the top of 10th off and increasingly ineffective John Wetteland. Given the way we usually perform in extra inning games, I figured that was it. Another Wetteland gaffe, and we lose.
However, we showed some spirit in the bottom of the 10th when Pedro Valdes reached first on an infield single, and then went to third on a double by Raffy. Gabe “Mr. RBI” came up, and sac flied to right, scoring Valdes to tie the game. After Ricky Ledee was intentionally walked, Kelly Dransfeldt came up, and slapped a single to left, scoring a rambling Rafael Palmeiro, who chugged all the way from second to score the winning run.
We used a ton of players in this game – we used every position player except Bill Haselman, who was unofficially done for the season anyway with surgery scheduled for Monday. Boy, I have to say that if we make a coaching change with Dick Bosman, I’d love to see Bill Haselman take over – I think he’d be a great pitching coach.
Overall a great game to sit in the ballpark and watch – but I would have rather won without giving up quite so many runs.
G147: Rangers beat Royals big, 8-1
Didn’t watch any of this game – was busy late at work.
Worst Trades in Team History: 4th Worst
On November 10th, 1978, the Rangers made one of the most embarrassing trades in the history of the game. They sent Dave Righetti (P), Juan Beniquez (OF), Mike Griffin (P), Paul Mirabella (P) and Greg Jamison (OF) to the Yankees for Sparky Lyle (P), Domingo Ramos (INF), Mike Heath (C), Dave Rajsich (P), and Larry McCall (P). Essentially, this was a Righetti and Beniquez for Lyle trade. The problem with this trade is that the Rangers gave up one of the game’s best closers in the 1980’s for a list of players that would all be gone two years later.
At the time of the trade, the Rangers were a team that was very close to being a contender and they thought that they lacked a true closer. Righetti was being groomed to be a starter and Sparky Lyle was one of the best relievers for over a decade with the Red Sox and the Yankees. In 1977, Lyle became the first reliever to win the AL Cy Young. In the Spring of 1978, however, Lyle was feuding with Yankee management, irked over owner George Steinbrenner’s decision to sign relief aces Rich Gossage and Rawley Eastwick as free agents. Lyle was a wise-cracking lefthander with a sizable paunch visible beneath his uniform, Lyle relied on a crackling slider almost exclusively in his heyday. By the time he came to the Rangers, his slider had lost its snap and he only saved 21 games for the Rangers in 1 ½ seasons before being traded to the Phillies in 1980.
Meanwhile, Righetti is busy winning AL Rookie of the Year in 1981, and pitching a no-hitter on July 4th, 1983 against Boston. He wasn’t moved to the bullpen until 1984. In his first year as a closer, he went on to save 31 games. Righetti would pitch in 522 games breaking Whitey Ford’s Yankee record. He would also finish as the Yanks career saves record-holder with 224.
Juan Beniquez was very versatile and dependable off of the bench for the Yankees and fared better as a hitter late in his career (after the Rangers traded him). Juan hit over .300 for four straight seasons (1983-86). Mike Griffin was a huge prospect and was the Yankees best rookie in the Spring of 1980, then went 2-4 and was sent down. Griffin pitched for seven different organizations without a full or winning season in the majors. Paul Mirabella was the Rangers first round (seventh overall) pick in the 1976 June Free Agent Draft. Mirabella spent a decade of shuttling between the minors and majors, he finally stuck in the Brewers bullpen in 1988. Greg Jamison never played in the majors.
The Rangers did not benefit from one player in this deal. We have already discussed Lyle. Domingo Ramos never played for the Rangers and spent 8 full seasons in the minors before latching on with the Mariners in 1982. Ramos ended up being a career .234 hitter. Mike Heath also never played for the Rangers. Heath started the 1979 season in the minors and the Rangers traded him to the A’s where he went on the be a valuable reserve for the rest of his career. Dave Rajsich was a 6’5″ forkballer who was used mostly in long relief, Rajsich stayed with the Rangers the longest of anyone that they received in this deal, going 3-3 in two years. Larry McCall never played for the Rangers, in fact, he only pitched in two big league games and was never heard from again.
This trade was definitely one of the low-points in this franchise’s history. I have studied this trade from every angle to try and find something good for the Rangers and there is nothing. This trade did absolutely nothing to benefit the Rangers. They basically gave away one of the best closers in the 1980’s and got close to nothing in return. It’s hard to imagine any trade being worse than this one, but I still have three more to report J.
Make sure to check back next week when I will be discussing the 3rd worst trade in team history and will also have another “Blast from the Rangers Pastâ€. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please E-mail me.
Remember the Rangers!
Jeremy Northrip
rangerhistory@hotmail.com
Ranger Player from the Past: Charlie Hough
It’s hard to mention any player from the Rangers past and not think of Charlie Hough. Hough pitched for the Rangers for 11 seasons (1980-1990). He never put up Cy Young numbers, but he was a consistent winner who reached double-figures in victories nine consecutive season. Not only was Hough one of the most likeable players in franchise history, he was also one of the most unique.
Hough started with the Dodgers in 1970 and was originally signed as a third baseman. He learned to throw the knuckle ball from Los Angeles scout Goldie Hold, with help from Hoyt Wilhelm, Jim Brewer and Tommy Lasorda. While Hough was with the Dodgers, he was used almost strictly as a middle-innings reliever. He only started one game from 1970 to 1978.
The Rangers purchased Charlie’s contract from the Dodgers during the 1980 season. In 1982, the club decided to move Hough into the starting rotation, and they were very surprised by the results. Hough won 16 games that year and began a streak of seven consecutive seasons leading the club in wins. In fact, the knuckleballer led Texas in complete games and innings pitched each year from 1982 to 1987. During this same time period, Hough won a higher percentage of his club’s victories than any other major league hurler.
Hough was also a notorious smoker, he was often spotted smoking in the dugout between innings, even when he was the starting pitcher! (Hough had to smoke in the clubhouse when MLB made it against the rules to smoke in the dugout in the mid-80’s.) Hough could go to the mound and throw 2 innings of perfect baseball. He would have the batters swinging out of their shoes and then, one pitch later, he would look like he had never thrown a knuckle ball before. His knuckleball turned into a 50 MPH hanging curve ball that was usually deposited into the outfield bleachers, about 450 feet away, he would then come back and look perfect for two more innings. Charlie’s philosophy was that if somebody hit one knuckler 500 feet, throw the next one the same way because it will do something different. “You’re not in charge of what it does,” says Charlie, “you’re only in charge of letting it go.” This reasoning is one of the major reasons that Hough was so successful throwing the knuckle ball.
When Hough finally left the franchise in 1990, he had rewritten the Rangers record book. He became the all time leader in wins, innings pitched, strikeouts, games pitched, losses, and walks. In 1995, The Sporting News named Hough the greatest pitcher in Ranger history. Hough finished his career with the Marlins, and it is only appropriate that he go down in Marlin history as well. Hough was one of the first two free agents signed by the Marlins and won the first game in Marlins history against the Dodgers on April 5, 1993.
Click here to see Charlie Hough’s lifetime stats. Here’s some more pictures of Charlie Hough – you can click on any of them to see a larger version.
Remember the Rangers!
Jeremy Northrip
rangerhistory@hotmail.com
G146: Rangers drop finale of Baltimore series, 9-4
Didn’t get to see any of this game, I was taping some other things on the TiVo, and besides, I had just sat through a double header the night before. Starting to reach the point of burnout for the season. Probably would be less burnout if we were playing better, I suppose. :)
Was nice to see that Cal had a great night – too bad it didn’t happen last night when I was there, though.
G145: Rangers take both ends of DH with 6-5 win
Aaahhh.. Nothing better than a doubleheader. Two games. Same night. Gotta love that. And we won both of them!
The Rangers and Kenny Rogers won the second game of the doubleheader against the Orioles by a 6-5 score. Our offense again provided the thrust of this game, and it was capped off by a 3 run home run by Pedro Valdes in the first inning – his first ever home run.
The lineup for this game was different than the first, the only two players that were the same were Raffy & Alicea. All the other starters were different players than the first – including Randy Knorr who I had never seen before. Given the sparse crowd (24,000), we were able to move around, and ended up three rows from the on deck circle, which afforded my wife a great close up shot of Gabe Kapler when he pinch hit in the bottom of the eighth. :) (She’ll probably kill me for saying that)
Heart Attack Wetteland came in and gave up two runs, making the final score much closer than the entire game was. We won, which was great, and the Rangers were handing out free passes to anyone who walked in the door for a game in April or May of 2001 season. Gotta love that. :)
G144: Rangers beat O’s in Game 1 of DH, 9-1
Well, my wife and I got to the doubleheader right as the game started. We figured we’d be there for like 6 or 7 hours anyway, so there was no point in sitting around for an hour before the game started – it’s not like we don’t know the Ballpark pretty well, anyway. :)
It’s been awhile since I went to a doubleheader, and while my wife likes going to games with me, I thought a doubleheader would be pushing it with her. She didn’t seem to have the dreaded “Wife/Girlfriend totally bored look” that I’ve seen on several women in the stands on TV. That is good.
Anyway, it was a nice game. Rick Helling had a bit of the long ball scare early, with a leadoff home run, but that was the only run he gave up, and the only hit till the seventh inning. He pitched wonderfully, and I felt should have pitched a complete game, as his pitch count was way down, leaving after eight innings. Tim Crabtree came on, and didn’t give up anything for a change, and preserved the 9-1 win.
Offensively, we had a lot – we tied the game in the bottom of the first to match the longball by Baltimore. We then busted it open with a four spot in the second inning against rookie pitcher John Parrish, two coming on a double by Raffy. Bill Haselman added a solo home run later in the game to cap off a really nice game on both sides of the coin. Too bad we couldn’t do this more often this year. :(
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