The last game of the season ended on both a bright note and a scary note. Unfortunately, they’re the same thing. Chan Ho Park pitched the way he should have been pitching. Which means we’ll probably try and go with him again next season. Damn. On the other hand, he pitched really well again in a park that he always pitches well in – Seattle. I wonder if something could be worked out where we send Park to Seattle for something. Park does well there, Seattle has to know that. Park went 7 innings, gave up no runs on 2 hits (3 BB/3K). A stellar performance (unfortunately).
Francisco Cordero got his final save of the season, his 49th. A record breaking season for him, as no Ranger reliever has ever had that many saves. He looked good, and fans seemed to like it when he came in. I think we have this position solved for awhile. :)
We didn’t have a lot of offense ourselves, but we had enough to get three runs across. Texas 2-4, but didn’t score, or get an RBI. Nix had a HR, and Huckaby had a double. Mike Young drove in the other two that Nix did not. As I said, not a lot of offense, but enough.
And the season comes to a close. By every account, this was a huge success, we didn’t drop out of the race until after Game #158 of the season – a major accomplishment. Buck Showalter should be manager of the year.
I also sincerely hope that Rudy Jaramillo comes back next year. He’s a great portion of our success, and I would hate to have him leave. As I’ve said before, if he left to get a manger’s job, I can’t fault him for leaving for that. However, if he leaves and becomes a hitting coach somewhere else, then I’ll be pissed. If he takes a lateral move, it means the Rangers didn’t do enough to keep him.
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