By CHUCKIE MAGGIO
Ron Washington can stake a claim as one of the best managers to play for the Rochester Red Wings. In leading the Texas Rangers to back-to-back American League championships to 2010 and 2011, he became the first to bring the Texas franchise to a World Series.
In 1987, the veteran affectionately known as “Pops” was just trying to grind his way back to the big leagues. He made a strong impression at Silver Stadium, leading the Red Wings in hitting that season with a .320 batting average.
Rochester fell short of the International League pennant that year but Washington helped the Wings trounce a losing Maine Guides club, homering as part of an 11-1 victory at Silver Stadium on June 11, 1987.
Washington offered at the first pitch he saw, launching Guides pitcher Marvin Freeman’s pitch over the left-center field fence to put the Wings up 5-0 in the first. Washington joined Jackie Gutierrez and Nelson Simmons in the home run department as the Wings chased Freeman and Maine eventually dispatched catcher Darren Loy to the mound before the blowout was over.
“We had been in a slump for a while. We were due to come out of it,” Washington told the Democrat and Chronicle. “A lot of guys hit well here. It was good for us.”
Washington hit 15 homers and drove in 43 runs that season, scoring 50 runs in 70 games. He also spent 26 games in Baltimore before playing three more seasons in Cleveland, Houston and the Texas organization.
The trademarks of Washington’s game that made him such a great player, particularly his work ethic, were evident to Red Wings manager John Hart when Washington was traded from Minnesota.
“We were in Toledo at the time, and the next day he showed up,” Hart recalled. “I went up to him and said, ‘Hey, Wash, what’s up? I didn’t think you’d be here for a couple more days.’
“He said, ‘I’m not going to get any better waiting 72 hours. I got to play.'”
Maine batting
| Batter | ab | r | h | rbi |
| Keith Miller | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ken Dowell | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Ron Jones | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Greg Jelks | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Ron Roenicke | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Al LeBoeuf | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Gib Seibert | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kevin Ward | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Joe Cipolloni | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Totals | 30 | 1 | 7 | 1 |
Rochester batting
| Batter | ab | r | h | rbi |
| Ron Salcedo | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jackie Gutierrez | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Mike Hart | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Floyd Rayford | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Jim Traber | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Ron Washington | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Nelson Simmons | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Kelvin Torve | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Craig Worthington | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Totals | 35 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
E- Jelks LOB- Maine 7, Rochester 6 2B- Cipolloni, Simmons, Rayford HR- Gutierrez (1), Washington (11), Simmons (1) SB- Washington
Maine 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0- 1
Rochester 5 0 2 0 2 2 0 0 X- 11
Maine pitching
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| Marvin Freeman (0-6) | 0.1 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| Travis Chambers | 4.2 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Rich Carlucci | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Darren Loy | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rochester pitching
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| Mike Griffin (W, 5-0) | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Miguel Alicea | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
WP- Chambers HBP- Jelks (By Griffin) M. Hart (By Loy) T- 2:40 Attendance- 1,541
Also on this day: Jim Fuller and Doug DeCinces each recorded extra-base hits to drive in runs as the International League All-Stars defeated Montreal 8-4 at MacArthur Stadium in 1973… Curt Motton hit three home runs, including a go-ahead homer in the 11th inning, as Rochester defeated Richmond 12-7 in 1974… Keith Hughes hit a bases-loaded triple in the ninth inning to extend his hitting streak to 15 games as the Red Wings defeated Oklahoma City 6-2 in a Triple-A Alliance game in 1989… Bobby Dickerson hit two triples and drove in three runs as Rochester defeated Toledo 6-1 in 1992… John Stevens extended his scoreless innings streak to 20 with seven shutout innings to pace the Red Wings to a 3-1 victory in Norfolk in 2002.
Leave a Reply