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| Mike Loynd | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1964-03-26)March 26, 1964 (age 61) St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 24, 1986, for the Texas Rangers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 1, 1987, for the Texas Rangers | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 3–7 |
| Earned run average | 5.82 |
| Strikeouts | 81 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Michael Wallace Loynd (born March 26, 1964) is an American formerMajor League Baseballpitcher for theTexas Rangers.
Michael Wallace was drafted in June 1986 out ofFlorida State University and made the jump from college to the big leagues in less than two months. At Florida State he tied anNCAA record by winning 20 games during the '86 season and was largely responsible for their trip to theCollege World Series. He was the 1986Golden Spikes Award winner as the best college baseball player in the nation. After an initial flurry of success in the Majors, his career flamed out and he was demoted to the minor leagues. He had a career total of 3 wins, 7 losses, anERA (Earned Run Average) of 5.82 with 81 strikeouts in 1111⁄3 innings pitched.
Loynd, age 22, made his debut on Thursday, July 24, 1986. Like the much heraldedDavid Clyde in 1973, Loynd was expected to contribute immediately upon being called to the Majors, as the Rangers were involved in a close pennant race, and managerBobby Valentine was strapped for pitching. Loynd won his first start in front of 34,256 fans with a 6–3 win over future Hall of FamerPhil Niekro and theCleveland Indians. Loynd threw for 6 innings, allowing 3 runs, walking 3 batters, and striking out 6 others.
After his next three starts resulted in no decisions, Loynd was back in the win column again on August 14, 1986, after defeatingTeddy Higuera and theMilwaukee Brewers 8–2. Loynd surrendered only one run over 7 strong innings while giving up only 5 hits and one walk. He struck out 4 batters. The victory improved his undefeated record to 2-0 and moved the Rangers just 1.5 games behind the first placeCalifornia Angels.
Afterwards, Loynd would begin to struggle. Many experts felt it was due to his not having pitched as many innings before during a season. Rangers' managerBobby Valentine began to use him more selectively, but yet he struggled greatly and for the year ended with 2 wins, 2 losses, and an ERA of 5.36.
In 1987, he began the year in thebullpen and had some initial success in the first month. The Rangers, however, had been a team predicted by many pundits to contend for their first title. Instead, the club started the year 1-10 and never recovered. Perhaps the most iconic moment of that frustration involved Loynd in front of a hometown crowd atArlington Stadium. On Saturday, May 9, 1987, Loynd was brought in relief ofEdwin Correa against theToronto Blue Jays. AfterTony Fernández connected off him for a home run that pushed the score to 7–0, Loynd vented his anger by hitting the next batter,Lloyd Moseby, with a pitch. Moseby proceeded to charge the mound while Loynd ran away. Both were ejected from the game and Toronto ended up winning 15–4. Loynd concluded the 1987 season with 1 win, 5 losses, and an ERA of 6.10. It was his last time playing in the Major Leagues.
Loynd was traded from the Rangers to theHouston Astros forRobbie Wine duringspring training on March 25, 1988.[1] He spent the next seven seasons in the minor league organizations of the Astros,Toronto Blue Jays,St. Louis Cardinals, andAtlanta Braves before ending his career with theWest Palm Beach Expos of theFlorida State League in 1994. Loynd currently lives inSt. Louis, Missouri with wife Lori.
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