Rangers: A painful look back at the history of Rangers pitching

Part Three: The Bad and the Ugly

The next time the Rangers pitching fell to turmoil was 1982. The Rangers narrowly avoided 100 losses and changed managers midseason for the sixth time in franchise history. The lowest ERA on the team’s rotation was a poor 3.95. Naturally, the team would finish near the bottom in every category. Somehow, the team would finish first in a bunch of categories the following season, well, except for the win column.

The Rangers race for the bottom of the standings stagnated in the mid-1980s. In 1985, the Rangers pitching staff combined for a 4.85 ERA and a .385 win percentage. This was only good for 12th and 13th, respectively, of the AL’s 14 teams. Reliever Dave Stewart was a star of the team. His 5.42 ERA and 1.512 WHIP carried him to a (0-6) record in his 42 appearances. A true icon.

The history books will forget about the 1987 Texas Rangers, but I never will. How could we possibly ignore Ed Correa’s 7.59 ERA or Bobby Witt’s 1.776 WHIP? Some teams have a tough time nailing down their fifth starter, but the 1987 Texas Rangers were really only certain about one of their guys.

They were a team that encouraged sharing. They decided to blow 40 percent of their save opportunities to give the opponents more confidence. Sure, they got 18 more losses out of the deal, but they did not need those anyway.