Bob Horner grounded out in the bottom of the fifth inning Aug. 17, 1986, at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, leaving the score 2-2 between the Nolan Ryan led Houston Astros and the Atlanta Braves.
There’s not any important significance to that specific game. It was just another matchup in the 1986 season for the teams. Ryan pitched through the fifth, giving up four hits and two runs to the Braves.
The overall significance to that game – well, maybe not the game, but definitely the date – is that it happened the day after the top Japanese pitching prospect and newest Texas Ranger Yu Darvish was born. Little did Ryan, the Rangers or Darvish know at the time, but all three would be united 25 years, five months and two days later when the ball club signed the dominant pitcher to a five-year, $56 million deal, with an optional sixth year that would make the contract worth $60 million. Another $10 million in incentives could be added if Darvish meets specific goals.
Ryan just happens to be the president of the Texas Rangers.
The Rangers purchased the right to exclusive negotiations with the 6-foot-5 right hander in December, an opportunity that, for the time being, will cost the club $51.7 million in addition to the deal reached Jan. 18.
Yu is perhaps the first legitimate ace the Rangers have had since Ryan. Sure people will argue that Cliff Lee was the Rangers last ace. No. Not really. He was a hired gun for the remainder of one season. Darvish will be “the” guy in a Texas uniform for the next five years – as things stand today.
Darvish reportedly has a repertoire of seven pitches and has won an average of 15 games the last five seasons with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan. He’s averaged a sub 2.00 earned run average during that time and more than 1,000 innings of work. Oh, and he’s a strikeout machine, garnering 1,083 – or a 216 per season average – over that five-year span.
I’m sure a lot of naysayers will proclaim that the Rangers could have, and should have spent elsewhere this offseason. Here’s the reality of that – what needed more help? The rotation, or the batting lineup?
C.J. Wilson was fantastic during the regular season, but disappeared in the postseason. Neftali Feliz is moving into the rotation, but Rangers fans remember what happened with Alexi Ogando when he made the move from the pen to the rotation.
The Rangers were in need of a starter who could work 200-plus innings, and they got him. The team was in need of a hands-down ace, and they got him.
Now it’s up to Yu to show this wasn’t another Alex Rodriguez deal.