| Rick Langford | |
|---|---|
.webp) Langford with theColumbus Clippersc. 1988 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1952-03-20)March 20, 1952 (age 72) Farmville, Virginia, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| June 13, 1976, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 13, 1986, for the Oakland Athletics | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 73–106 |
| Earned run average | 4.01 |
| Strikeouts | 671 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
James Rick Langford (born March 20, 1952) is an American former professionalbaseballpitcher who played for thePittsburgh Pirates andOakland Athletics ofMajor League Baseball (MLB) from 1976 through 1986. He has served as acoach for theToronto Blue Jays in MLB and for theirfarm teams inMinor League Baseball.
Langford grew up inVarina, Virginia. He attendedVarina High School, where he participated in four sports.[1] He signed with thePittsburgh Pirates as afree agent in 1973. He made his MLB debut with the Pirates in 1976. Before the 1977 season, the Pirates traded Langford,Tony Armas,Doug Bair,Dave Giusti,Doc Medich andMitchell Page to theOakland Athletics forPhil Garner,Chris Batton, andTommy Helms.[2]
In a streak that began on May 23, 1980, Langford pitched 22 consecutivecomplete games. The streak ended on September 17, when he came within1⁄3 of an inning of another complete game. He then pitched consecutive complete games in his next three starts.[3] Langford led theAmerican League in complete games and innings pitched that year, and also won a career high 19 games for the Athletics. Charlie Metro was one of his coaches in Oakland and had this to say about him: "Rick Langford was another one of those pitchers with Oakland who was a little short on stuff but great on moxie. He knew how to pitch to get the most out of his skills. Boy, he had a lot of determination. He was a likeable guy. He'd give you a good effort every time he was out on the mound. Billy [Martin] loved him."[4]
In 1983, Langford was hit by aline drive in his elbow and tore a muscle in the elbow when trying to play through the injury.[5] However, he'd already been in decline before then. Although he reportedly had a sore elbow late in the 1982 season, his lackluster statistics (11-16, 4.32 ERA) led baseball writerRob Neyer to wonder if he'd been injured earlier in the season. Neyer estimated that in 1981, Langford threw as many as 129 pitches per complete game, a heavy workload for a young pitcher even then. A's managerBilly Martin has often been criticized for overworking Langford and the other members of the 1981 rotation[6] He had a 4–19 win–loss record from the 1983 through 1986 seasons.[3] He attempted a comeback to baseball in 1988, pitching for theColumbus Clippers, aminor league baseball affiliate of theNew York Yankees. The Yankees did not promote him to the major leagues, and he retired after the season.[7]
Langford joined theToronto Blue Jays organization in 1996 as apitching coach in the minor leagues.[8] He served as a major league pitching coach in 2002.[8] After the 2008 season, the Blue Jays named Langford their roving minor league pitching instructor.[9] The Blue Jays named Langford their major league bullpen coach for the 2010 season.[8] After the 2010 season, he became the Blue Jays' pitching rehab coordinator.[10] He became the pitching coach for theSyracuse Chiefs of theClass AAAInternational League.[1]
Langford lives inFlorida with his wife Terrie, an art teacher. They have two children: Jamie, an elementary school teacher, and Travis, alieutenant in theUnited States Air Force.[7]