THE NEWBERG REPORT
The first thing I thought about when Eric Gagne took the mound on the back field adorned by three five-row metal bleachers and not much else, with C.J. Wilson 50 feet away throwing his side to get ready to pitch the second and third innings, was how surreal the moment had to be for Hunter Harrigan, who signed with the Rangers nine months ago after going undrafted out of Southern Illinois University and proceeded to hit .121 in 58 at-bats for Spokane (with one emergency appearance for Oklahoma). Harrigan got the assignment to catch Gagne and Wilson, and later Wes Littleton, in the Rangers’ AAA matchup against the Royals yesterday afternoon.
The scene as Gagne warmed up on the side was very cool. There were a few members of the national press, a bunch of Metroplex writers, a gaggle of pitching coaches, and at least two dozen minor league pitchers, that final group obviously in awe as they absorbed Gagne’s process.
By time the game got underway, the crowd – which probably approached 60 or 70 observers, easily four times more than normal – included Jon Daniels and Ron Washington, even though the big league club was getting its own game underway 150 miles away in Tucson. Gagne made quick work of the Royals in his one frame, throwing 10 of his 14 pitches for strikes and logging a pair of punchouts. He had command of all his pitches (fastball, curve, and a spellbinding change).
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