Nolan Ryan Doesn't Think Hamilton “Quit”

Rangers OF Josh Hamilton finished the 2012 season on a very sour note

Texas Rangers president Nolan Ryan didn’t sugarcoat his response much when asked about Josh Hamilton’s performance down the stretch, in an appearance on 103.3 FM ESPN Radio’s “Galloway & Company” show, but he dismissed the idea that Hamilton “quit” on the team.

"You know, that’s really a tough term to say somebody quit,” Ryan said, via ESPN Dallas. “He had an issue, he was under a magnifying glass and things didn’t go well. If he would have gotten a couple of hits in those key situations or if he hadn’t dropped that ball in Oakland, would people be saying that? No, they wouldn’t be saying that. It didn’t look good. But do I think he quit? I have no reason to think he quit. It didn’t go well. It didn’t look good and only Josh knows what was in his heart and what was in his mind.

"I think Josh was put in a tough situation that he probably hadn’t ever been in before and he was somewhat perplexed by it. When we’re put in situations that we haven’t dealt with before, we don’t know how we’re going to react to them. I think what we saw was Josh reacting to an awfully tough situation."

Hamilton finished the season with good numbers--he hit .285 with 43 home runs and 128 RBIs in 2012--but he also endured the worst slump of his career, and struggled so mightily down the stretch that his final at bat of 2012, he was showered with boos by the home crowd at the Ballpark.

Copyright FREEL - NBC Local Media
Contact Us