Rick Langford

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1⁄3 of an inning of another complete game. He then pitched consecutive complete games in his next three starts. [3] Langford led the American League in complete games and innings pitched that year, and also won a career high 19 games for the Athletics. Charlie Metro was one of his coaches in Oakland and had this to say about him: "Rick Langford was another one of those pitchers with Oakland who was a little short on stuff but great on moxie. He knew how to pitch to get the most out of his skills. Boy, he had a lot of determination. He was a likeable guy. He'd give you a good effort every time he was out on the mound. Billy [Martin] loved him." [4]

In 1983, Langford was hit by a line drive in his elbow and tore a muscle in the elbow when trying to play through the injury. [5] However, he'd already been in decline before then. Although he reportedly had a sore elbow late in the 1982 season, his lackluster statistics (11-16, 4.32 ERA) led baseball writer Rob Neyer to wonder if he'd been injured earlier in the season. Neyer estimated that in 1981, Langford threw as many as 129 pitches per complete game, a heavy workload for a young pitcher even then. A's manager Billy Martin has often been criticized for overworking Langford and the other members of the 1981 rotation [6] He had a 4–19 win–loss record from the 1983 through 1986 seasons. [3] He attempted a comeback to baseball in 1988, pitching for the Columbus Clippers, a minor league baseball affiliate of the New York Yankees. The Yankees did not promote him to the major leagues, and he retired after the season. [7]

Langford joined the Toronto Blue Jays organization in 1996 as a pitching coach in the minor leagues. [8] He served as a major league pitching coach in 2002. [8] After the 2008 season, the Blue Jays named Langford their roving minor league pitching instructor. [9] The Blue Jays named Langford their major league bullpen coach for the 2010 season. [8] After the 2010 season, he became the Blue Jays' pitching rehab coordinator. [10] He became the pitching coach for the Syracuse Chiefs of the Class AAA International League. [1]

Personal life

Langford lives in Florida with his wife Terrie, an art teacher. They have two children: Jamie, an elementary school teacher, and Travis, a lieutenant in the United States Air Force. [7]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Pitching coach has total credibility | Sports". richmond.com. May 28, 2008. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Pirates, A's Swap 9 Players; Garner and Medich Key Men". The New York Times. Associated Press. March 17, 1977. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  3. 1 2 Williams, Doug (May 17, 2013). "In 1980, Rick Langford pulled off a now-forgotten, unbelievable streak". ESPN. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  4. ↑ Metro, Charlie (2002). Safe by a Mile. University of Nebraska Press. p. 394. ISBN   0-8032-8281-8.
  5. ↑ "Big Read: Rick Langford – The Closer". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  6. ↑ Neyer, Rob (2006). Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Blunders . New York: Fireside. ISBN   978-0-7432-8491-2.
  7. 1 2 Gonser, Ed. "On Board with Rick Langford". Milb.com. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  8. 1 2 3 "Blue Jays complete coaching staff for 2010". Major League Baseball. June 20, 2008. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Blue Jays round out minor-league staff". Toronto Star. October 10, 2008. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Blue Jays announce Minor League appointments". Major League Baseball. November 30, 2010. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
Rick Langford
Rick Langford - Oakland Athletics.jpg
Pitcher
Born: (1952-03-20) March 20, 1952 (age 72)
Farmville, Virginia, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
June 13, 1976, for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Last MLB appearance
July 13, 1986, for the Oakland Athletics
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