Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, July 26, 1990 TAG: 9007260306
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: ARLINGTON, TEXAS LENGTH: Medium
Nolan Ryan failed to win his 300th game Wednesday night, but the Texas Rangers saved him from a loss, rallying to beat the New York Yankees 9-7 in 11 innings.
"I'm really disappointed it turned out like it did," Ryan said. "A lot of people went to a lot of trouble to be in the ballpark tonight and I kind of let them down."
Ryan left after eight innings, trailing 7-4 to baseball's worst team. But Texas came back for three runs in the ninth on Pete Incaviglia's homer and won it on Rafael Palmeiro's home run.
Ryan likely will make his second try for 300 Monday night in Milwaukee.
"I don't want this thing to drag out," Ryan said. "I don't want a cloud on it. The last thing I want is for it to drag out."
A crowd of 41,954 that included baseball commissioner Fay Vincent hoped to see Ryan become the 20th pitcher to win 300. Instead, they saw him struggle.
"I wanted to win this game worse than any all year. I wished I could have won it at home," he said.
Ryan was shaky from the start, never the overpowering pitcher his fans yearned to see. He gave up a triple to open the game, lost an early lead and allowed his highest run total of the season.
The milestone slipped away on solo home runs by Kevin Maas and Roberto Kelly that put the Yankees ahead 3-2 in the fourth inning and Bob Geren hit a two-run single in the sixth. Geren had a two-run homer that made it 7-3 in the eighth.
"I really took the team out of the ballgame," Ryan said. "It took a special effort on their behalf to win that game."
Ryan gave up seven runs on 10 hits. He struck out nine, walked three and threw 141 pitches. The hits and home runs against him also were season highs.
"Give the Yankees credit because they came out real aggressive and I knew if I was going to beat them I had to pitch a good game," Ryan said.
The Yankees, with the poorest record in the majors, started four rookies and played without Don Mattingly, who could miss the rest of the season with back problems.
The 43-year-old Ryan, pitching with a bad back and a sore Achilles tendon, had won five straight decisions. But the all-time strikeout leader was outpitched by one of the game's softest throwers, Dave LaPoint.
LaPoint pitched six innings and allowed three runs on nine hits with six strikeouts.
Steve Buechele hit an RBI double in the Rangers' eighth that made it 7-4.
In the ninth, Dave Righetti retired the first two batters before Palmeiro singled and advanced on Kelly's error in left field. Sierra hit a run-scoring single and Incaviglia smacked his 16th home run on a 1-2 pitch.
"It was good to get Nolan off the hook because he has been carrying us for so long it's nice to save him for a change," Incaviglia said.
In the 11th, Julio Franco singled with one out and Palmeiro followed with his 11th home run.
"I just wished we could have done it earlier. It felt good to save it for Nolan," Palmeiro said.
When Palmeiro was in the on-deck circle, Rangers owner George Bush yelled at him, "Hey, the commissioner is tired, send him home."
Palmeiro turned around and said, "It's over," and then he homered.
Kenny Rogers (4-5), who relieved Ryan, got the victory. Mark Leiter (0-1) was the loser.
Deion Sanders, who was born a year after Ryan made his major-league debut in 1966, led off the game with a triple and scored when Steve Sax followed with a groundout.
by CNB