In winning the ALCS against the Tigers, Rangers pitchers issued 22 walks in six games. None of those batters who walked came around to score.
In losing the World Series to the Cardinals, Rangers pitchers walked 41 batters in seven games. 11 of those hitters came around to score. As did two of the batters they hit with pitches.
In the fifth inning Friday, the Cardinals upped their lead from one run to three runs thanks to the following sequence: walk, HBP, groundout, intentional walk, walk, HBP.
The Rangers lost this series because too many of their pitchers couldn’t find the strike zone. The 41 walks were a new World Series record, one more than the Marlins issued in winning the 1997 championship. C.J. Wilson, who is probably going to get about $75 million as a free agent this winter, set another record by issuing 19 walks in 28 innings over the course of the postseason.
Wilson, of course, was the biggest culprit in the World Series, walking 11 in 12 1/3 innings. Alexi Ogando issued seven in 2 2/3 innings. Scott Feldman, the goat in the fifth inning tonight, had six walks in five innings. Closer Neftali Feliz walked four in 3 2/3 innings.
Derek Holland, who, ironically enough, was the Rangers’ most inconsistent pitcher during the regular season, was about the team’s only hurler to hold it together against the Cardinals. He had two walks in 10 1/3 innings.
Too bad he was the one of the Rangers’ four starters not to get two starts in the series.
