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06/04/2005 7:32 PM ET
KANSAS CITY -- Chan Ho Park can vouch for the notion that significant milestones aren't easily achieved.
Park huffed and puffed in the sticky Kansas City heat on Saturday, laboring through five tedious innings. But in the end, he got what he wanted. Park was the winning pitcher as the Rangers outslugged the Royals 14-9, making him the first Korean native in Major League history to reach the 100-victory milestone.
"This is 100 wins for me and for Korea," Park said. "People in Korea expect a lot and it has so much meaning for them. It was more about our offense than my pitching in today's game. I'm very appreciative of my teammates for picking me up. I'm very proud of them. "
With the game being broadcast through much of South Korea, Park allowed four runs on eight hits through the opening two innings and trailed 4-0. Against a Royals club that had shifted into victory gear under new manager Buddy Bell, it seemed as though Park would have to wait for another day to get win No. 100.
But thanks to a white-hot Texas offense and his own resiliency, Park hung around long enough to get the triple-digit milestone in the books.
The Rangers rocked Jose Lima and the Royals bullpen for a combined 11 runs from the third through the fifth innings. But Park may have been down to his final hitter when the Royals drew within 11-6 in the fifth and had two on with Alberto Castillo at the plate.
Left-handed-hitting Ruben Gotay was in the on-deck circle and lefty Ron Mahay was in the bullpen. Had Castillo reached, manager Buck Showalter would have had to decide whether to yank Park when he was one out away from qualifying for the victory.
It never came to that. Castillo lined to second and Park was able to get in the necessary five innings with a five-run cushion.
The heavy show of offense for Park was the norm. Prior to Saturday, Park had received 7.82 runs runs of support per start, the highest figure among qualifying Major League pitchers. Park allowed 11 hits and six runs through five innings, but the cumulative bottom line is that he has achieved a first among Korean pitchers.
Park said he didn't feel pressure to get win No. 100 on Saturday. He's now 6-1 and on an 18-win pace.
"We have a long way to go," Park said. "We've only been playing two months. I'm very happy that I'm still healthy. There might be some extra meaning because of what has happened the last few years. I'm confident that I'll get more wins for the team."
Park added that his biggest motivation on Saturday was to help the Rangers snap a three-game losing streak, their longest of the season.
"I knew there would be another day when I could get 100 wins, but I really wanted to win because we had lost three in a row," Park said. "Pitching good is for the team, not for myself."
Park has been able to win this year with a bend-but-don't-break mentality. He rallied after the first two innings with a strong third and fourth.
"I thought Chan Ho grinded it out," Rangers manager Buck Showalter said. "He could have given in there. A lot of ground balls got through on a real quick infield. I was proud of the way he grinded through five inninings"
One night after they were limited to four singles in a 2-1 loss, the Rangers (31-23) came back with 19 hits, including four homers. That barrage enabled the Rangers to arrive at the one-third mark of their season on pace for 93 wins.
"It was a difficult day to pitch," Showalter said. "A lot of guys struggled."
One who didn't was Brian Shouse, who ended all the offensive madness with two scoreless innings to wrap it up.
"Thank goodness that Shousie did for us what he has been doing most of the year," Showalter said.
It took three hours and 47 minutes, but the Rangers got everything they wanted. Breaking the losing streak was the main item on the agenda, but helping Park get to the century mark was a bonus that pleased the team.
"We're happy for Chan Ho," first baseman Mark Teixeira said. "He has done a great job for us all year. He gave us those five innings and got a milestone win. That was huge."
출처 : texasrangers.com
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