Trio possibly on verge of saying goodbye to Texas Rangers were in the news Saturday
Sure enough, Chuck Morgan didn’t call in sick Saturday.
Instead, he thought he would go ahead and serve as public address announcer for the 3,000th consecutive game of his career, a streak that started with his first game in 1983.
There were a few close calls, especially in 2013 when he needed spinal surgery. The good news for him, though, is that he does only home games and can take care of pesky things like that when the team is on the road.
He will be working the MLB postseason series next month at Globe Life Field, including the World Series. He worked the 2010 and 2011 World Series and hopes to do another with the Texas Rangers involved.
Maybe in a few years. At least they honored him with a win Saturday.
Here’s some Rangers Reaction from a 6-1 victory over the Houston Astros.
Choo still undecided
Shin-Soo Choo is going to try to play Sunday, even if it’s for only one at-bat in which he pretty much can’t do anything with the bat.
His sprained wrist is badly bruised but can’t be injured any worse. He doesn’t want his time with the Texas Rangers to end, if it ends, with him on the injured list.
Choo has pride, lots of it, and that helps explain why he’s had a successful MLB career.
He is also grateful for what the Rangers did for him. They signed him to life-changing money, $131 million over seven seasons, and welcomed him into the Metroplex, where he and his family call home and will continue to call home whether he plays for the Rangers in 2021 or elsewhere.
Choo still believes he can play and contribute. He also doesn’t want his career to end in a season like this season, truncated to 60 games amid a worldwide pandemic. He and anyone else at the end of a career deserve better.
“What I have done, a couple more years I can still do it,” Choo said. “Another thing, at least play a whole 162-game season. That’s what I want to play. If it’s the end of my career, I want to play 162 games. A regular full season, not 60 games.”
The Rangers might have interest in keeping him around, though at considerably less than what they have been paying him. They don’t really have a spot for him, though a rebuilding team can always use a true professional to teach the young players how to go about their business.
There are a few scenarios in which Choo could re-sign. The Rangers might not have a left fielder by the time spring training starts if they trade or release second baseman Rougned Odor. That would push Nick Solak to second base and free up left field.
The Rangers also seem concerned about Willie Calhoun, not physically but mentally after a trying season. Manager Chris Woodward said he wants Calhoun to take a mental break but also reach out to friends and family to sort through what happened this season, beginning with the fractured jaw in spring training but also including how he was impacted by the movement to end racial injustice.
Calhoun can play left field and spends time at designated hitter, Choo’s spots.
Choo can also play right field, where Joey Gallo could win a Gold Glove. While the chances of trading Gallo seem faint, the Rangers took inquiries on him at the trade deadline and would be open to hearing what teams have to offer in the offseason.
But if Choo is done with the Rangers, they will miss him. He said he wishes he could have done more for them, but he did plenty over the past seven seasons.
One more wouldn’t hurt them.
Go, old guys
Like Choo, Jeff Mathis and Jesse Chavez are in the final years of their Rangers contracts, and they both went out on top Saturday in what could be the final appearances of their careers.
Jeff Mathis started at catcher, and helped Kyle Gibson toss six scoreless innings. Mathis also broke a 1-1 seventh-inning tie with a three-run homer after first attempting to bunt runners at first and second into scoring position.
“I was trying to get the bunt down,” Mathis season. “I offered at a pitch that was ball four. I should have walked.”
Mathis has struggled throughout his career at the plate, so what follows is relative. His three homers this season are two short of his career high a few years ago with the Miami Marlins.
Mathis caught Chavez in a scoreless ninth. Chavez hit a batter, and in the process nearly took out Mathis as the ball ricocheted and threatened to end Mathis’ ability to add to his family.
“The knot in my stomach is continually reminding me,” Mathis said. “That was one of the better ones I’ve had in a long time.”
Chavez also needed a leaping catch at the left-field wall by Solak to end the game and keep a zero on the Astros’ linescore, but a scoreless outing is a scoreless outing.
If both players either move on to other clubs or decide to retire as players, they could soon jump into coaching. Both have been mentors late in their careers, and both have considered becoming coaches.
Mathis, though, said he still feels good and still has the passion to keep playing.
“With it being a shortened season, I really don’t want to go out this way,” Mathis said.
Saturday’s superlatives
There were quite a few from that win, No. 21 on the season. Here we go:
▪ Gibson scattered six hits in his six scoreless innings to finish his first season with the Rangers on the right note. Keep in mind that Gibson’s best start of the season and the best of his career came Sept. 16 at Houston, where he tossed a four-hit shutout. So, he posted a 0.00 ERA and allowed 10 hits in 15 innings this season against the Astros. Gibson entered Saturday with a 2.90 career ERA in eight starts against Houston.
▪ One splendid defensive play helped Gibson get through six scoreless. Miles Straw was at second base when Alex Bregman sent a hard grounder toward left field. Shortstop Anderson Tejeda, though, dived to stop it and then turned and threw behind Straw, who had turned to go for home. He was out in a rundown for the second out, and Gibson got Kyle Tucker to end the threat.
▪ Leody Taveras followed Mathis’ three-run shot with a homer to right field, giving the Rangers back-to-back homers for only the second time this season. Who was involved the first time, Aug. 29 against the Los Angeles Dodgers? First baseman Ronald Guzman and Taveras.
▪ Three Rangers batters had multiple hits, led by Solak’s three singles. The other two came from unexpected sources, at least based on their 2020 numbers: Gallo and Calhoun, who had two singles apiece.
