Kenny Rogers (baseball)

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13 innings. Shortly after the regular season ended, the Rangers announced Rogers would not return to the team.

On October 5, 2005, Rodriguez filed a civil suit against Rogers and the Rangers, seeking an unspecified amount of monetary damages.

Signing with Detroit

Rogers warming up prior to a rehab start with the West Michigan Whitecaps, Single-A affiliates of the Detroit Tigers in 2007. Kenny Rogers Whitecaps Rehab.jpg
Rogers warming up prior to a rehab start with the West Michigan Whitecaps, Single-A affiliates of the Detroit Tigers in 2007.

On December 8, 2005, Rogers signed a two-year, $16-million contract with the Detroit Tigers. In 2006, he won 17 regular season games and excelled in the post-season with 23 straight scoreless innings over his three starts. Rogers ended the 2006 regular season with a record of 17–8 and a 3.84 ERA. "We've needed a guy like that for a long time. I'm glad we went out and got him...He means a lot to our team and to guys like me," said Tigers starter Jeremy Bonderman on Rogers.

Rogers, on his first year in Detroit: "There's a lot of benefits here, by far, that you wouldn't know as a visiting player, and for me, I've been around quite a while, but I appreciate the town, the city, the people. The travel for a baseball player is very hard, but here it's not that difficult. It lends itself to being able to relax on certain days that you could get off. There's just more benefits, especially when you have the quality of people here like Dombrowski and like we have in Mr. Ilitch, those things that you can't take for granted. You add in Jim Leyland and the coaching staff here, and I just got lucky to choose this place...Right when I went in the door and met them, I knew. I knew where I was going to end up." [6]

On March 30, 2007, ESPN reported that Rogers would miss three months after undergoing surgery for a blood clot in his pitching shoulder. He made his return on June 22 against the Atlanta Braves, pitching six scoreless innings and allowing two hits while earning his first win of the season.

2006 postseason

On October 6, 2006, Rogers won his first postseason game, pitching 723 scoreless innings with 8 strikeouts in a 6–0 Tigers victory against the Yankees in Game 3 of the American League Division Series. At 41 years and 330 days old, he became the oldest starting pitcher to earn his first career postseason win.

A week later on October 13, Rogers retired 9 batters in a row, in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series against the Oakland Athletics, allowing only 2 hits and 2 walks in 713 scoreless innings, while striking out 6 and pacing the Tigers to a 3–0 victory, leaving the Tigers 1 win away from their first World Series appearance since 1984.

Rogers started Game 2 of the 2006 World Series on October 22, 2006. "We wanted Kenny to pitch 2 games at home," Leyland said. [7] He left the game with the Tigers in the lead 3–0, pitching 8 shutout innings, retiring 10 straight batters, striking out 5, allowing only 2 hits and 3 walks, making him the oldest starting pitcher to win a World Series game, [8] and 1 of only 2 pitchers over the age of 40 to do so (Curt Schilling would become the second in 2007).

During the first inning, Fox cameras caught a smudge on Rogers' pitching hand. Rogers said it was dirt mixed with rosin from the rosin bag and wiped it off. MLB spokesperson Rich Levin said the incident was investigated, and the substance was described as dirt. Since dirt is not designated as a foreign substance, per Rule 8.02, Rogers remained in the game. [9] In the process, Rogers extended his streak to 23 shutout innings. Examination of images from previous games revealed similar smudges in two other games. [10]

Retirement

After injuries shortened his 2007–08 seasons, Rogers ceased playing at the end of 2008. With 219 career victories, he became the 7th 200-game winner who never won 20 games in any single season, joining Milt Pappas, Jerry Reuss, Frank Tanana, Charlie Hough, Dennis Martínez and Chuck Finley. Tim Wakefield joined the group with his 200th win in 2011. Mike Mussina reached 200 wins without having a 20-win season, but recorded a 20-win season afterward.

In 2010, Rogers served as a pitching coach for the Detroit Tigers during spring training. According to remarks by Justin Verlander and Jim Leyland, his ability to coach pitchers on fielding would be particularly of interest to the team. [11]

On August 6, 2011, Rogers was enshrined into the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame.

In 2011, Rogers threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Comerica Park in Game 3 of the ALDS. [12]

Rogers reportedly never formally retired from Major League Baseball. [11]

Accomplishments

Perfect game

Rogers pitched the 14th perfect game in MLB history on July 28, 1994, with the Rangers against the California Angels (the last no-hitter in Rangers history to date, [13] and the only perfect game in franchise history). Soon after his feat, he appeared on ABC's Good Morning America on July 29, 1994, and on CBS's Late Show with David Letterman on August 1, 1994.

He also met and appeared with musician Kenny Rogers at a function in Arlington, Texas, on August 13, 1994. Rogers' 1994 perfect game was caught by Iván Rodríguez, who in June 2007 caught the no-hitter of Roger's future teammate Detroit Tiger Justin Verlander. The game took place exactly three years to the day of the previous perfect game, pitched by Dennis Martínez of the Montreal Expos on July 28, 1991.

Gold Gloves

Known as one of the finest fielding pitchers in baseball, Rogers won 5 Gold Glove Awards at pitcher, including 4 with the Rangers and 1 with the Tigers. He was honored with a Fielding Bible Award in 2008 as the top fielding pitcher in MLB. [14] Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane stated that Rogers "was the best fielding pitcher" he ever saw. "It's like having an extra infielder." [15]

200 career wins

On June 18, 2006, Rogers won his 200th game (against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field), during which Detroit set a club record with 8 home runs. [16]

Pickoffs

Rogers is second all-time in pickoffs with 93 in his career. On May 9, 2008, against the New York Yankees, Rogers picked off Wilson Betemit in the second inning for his 92nd pick-off, passing Mark Langston.

See also

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References

  1. 1991 Topps baseball card #332
  2. "Scott Feldman, Rangers agree at $2,425,000". ESPN. January 29, 2010. Retrieved March 4, 2010.
  3. "The Beane Count – Analyzing Billy Beane's trades".
  4. "Kenny Rogers Joins Twins After Physical". Huron Daily Tribune. March 13, 2003. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  5. Rangers pitcher threatens and confronts cameramen
  6. Archived October 17, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  7. Curry, Jack (October 21, 2006). "Series Spotlight on Rookie Starters". The New York Times . Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  8. Associated Press
  9. The Official Site of Major League Baseball: News: Major League Baseball News
  10. "SI.com – Photo Gallery – The Dirt on Kenny Rogers". CNN. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
  11. 1 2 Steve Kornacki (February 21, 2010). "Kenny Rogers joining Tigers as spring training instructor". MLive.com. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
  12. "Rogers to throw out first pitch before Game 3 | tigers.com: News". Detroit.tigers.mlb.com. October 24, 2006. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
  13. "Most Popular". CNN. Archived from the original on May 26, 2008.
  14. "The 2008 Awards". The Fielding Bible. Archived from the original on November 11, 2010. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
  15. Neyer, Rob (2003). Rob Neyer's big book of baseball lineups : a complete guide to the best, worst, and most memorable players to ever grace the major leagues . New York: Fireside. p.  169. ISBN   0743241746 . Retrieved March 20, 2012.
  16. ANDREW SELIGMAN, AP Sports Writer Monday, Jun 19, 2006 (June 19, 2006). "Tigers 12, Cubs 3 – MLB". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved May 15, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

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Kenny Rogers
Kenny Rogers on May 9, 2008.jpg
Rogers with Detroit Tigers in 2008
Pitcher
Born: (1964-11-10) November 10, 1964 (age 59)
Savannah, Georgia, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
MLB debut
April 6, 1989, for the Texas Rangers
Last MLB appearance
September 30, 2008, for the Detroit Tigers
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Perfect game pitcher
July 28, 1994
Succeeded by
Preceded by No-hitter pitcher
July 28, 1994
Succeeded by
Preceded by American League All-Star Game Starting Pitcher
2006
Succeeded by