Ron Washington credits Derek Holland, Mike Napoli for win in Game 4 – MLB Update
Texas Rangers’ manager Ron Washington was overly excited after his team blanked the St. Louis Cardinals 4-0 in Game 4 of the World Series on Sunday, October 23 at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas, a day after the visitors had annihilated the home-team
16-7.
Washington gave credit to his starter Derek Holland and catcher Mike Napoli for clinching the win and thus keeping the Rangers in contention for the World Series title. Texas lost to San Francisco Giants in the last year’s edition, but will definitely go
beyond the five-games they managed to play in their first trip to the Fall Classic.
Holland tossed 8.1 scoreless innings for just two hits to win against an offence which had humiliated the hosts in Game 3. He struck-out seven batters in the process to steel his position for another start in this series, if the need arises. Washington pulled
his starter from the mound in the ninth inning, with just one out, handing the ball to Neftali Feliz in a bid to safely see the Rangers march past the Cardinals.
Before the sixth inning, it was a 1-0 game and the Cardinals were resilient in their approach. However, Tony La Russa opted not to go with regular relief pitcher Fernando Salas and instead handed the ball over to Mitchell Boggs, in a move that proved to
be costly for the Redbirds.
Mike Napoli lashed a three-run homer to Boggs in the sixth inning, extending the lead to four-runs and virtually sealing the encounter.
Washington asserted that Holland was a thoroughbred in the game and as his career nurtures, he will improve further. He stressed that it will be essential for Holland to keep himself in the game and execute his pitches the way he did in this game, without
aiming at throwing a shutout every time.
Talking about Napoli, Washington said, “He has a real good feel for receiving and a real good feel for what his pitchers are capable of doing, and he did a great job tonight of making sure Holland established his pitches.”
The manager added that if Holland manages to control his emotions, he is a true fighter. He added that Napoli played a major role in ensuring that the starter uses his entire repertoire.
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