New Arrival: Mark Langston, sp, Cleveland Baseball
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If you are a Cleveland fan and were around for the 90’s version of the club, you will remember how the team pitching was almost always on the cusp of being a dumpster fire. The team had a historically good offense, but they could never find the arms needed to match them. It’s still frustrating to think about 30 years later.
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Case in point: Mark Langston. Langston had technically retired following the 1998 season after getting waived by San Diego. He had gone 4–6 with a 5.86 ERA. This included a World Series appearance that was maybe not his best work. I will let you look that up. It’s depressing.
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But in the spring of 1999, Langston had a change of heart and decided to sign a minor league contract with Cleveland. And it went about how you would expect. He went 1–2 with a 5.25 ERA in 25 games, to include five starts. He retired, for real this time, the following March.
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It was the end of what was a solid career. His career record was 179–158 with a 107 ERA+. Langston led the league in strikeouts three times and, from 1984–1993, averaged 200 a season. He was a four-time All-Star and one of the best defensive pitchers of the era, winning seven Gold Gloves.