Nobody’s perfect.
And because now Shawn Tolleson has added his name to that inevitable list, the Rangers didn’t finish their sweep of the Minnesota Twins.
Tolleson, who became the Rangers’ closer when Neftali Feliz faltered earlier in the season, was an unblemished 8-for-8 in save opportunities entering Sunday’s game in Arlington. This time he got the ball in the 9th inning of a 3-3 game, hoping he could shut Minnesota down and give Texas the chance for a walk-off win and its first home sweep of the Twins since 2003.
Nope.
Trouble started immediately when Tolleson allowed a lead-off double to .240-hitting shortstop Eduardo Escobar. He seemed ready to wiggle out of the jam when he fielded Byron Buxton’s attempted sacrifice bunt and threw to third to nail Escobar. But the speedy Buxton promptly stole second.
With two out, Tolleson fell behind Eddie Rosario 2-0 and then allowed a run-scoring double to right-center for his first loss of the season.
Allowing two doubles and a run, it was probably his worst outing as the closer since getting the job in mid-May. Doesn’t mean Feliz gets his job back. Just means Tolleson isn’t prefect.
Sports Connection
Connecting you to your favorite North Texas sports teams as well as sports news around the globe.
Welcome to the club.
A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.
