What could be more perfect than baseball in March?

A perfect game.

Team Puerto Rico, led by pitcher Jose De Leon, perfect gamed Team Isreal, managed by Ian Kinsler, 10-0 in the World Baseball Classic.

It was a classic way to end the game. On a walk-off hit. From Puerto Rico. It happened because the WBC has a 10-run mercy rule. When the game got to 10-0 in the eighth inning, it was over. Rangers fans could have used a few of those mercy-rule game enders the last six years. Maybe all those losing seasons would have been slighly less painful.

De Leon came up with the Dodgers in 2016, was traded to the Rays in 2017 and was due to be the Rays opening day starter in 2018 until he tore his UCL in spring training of that year.

He missed all of 2018, came back for three games in 2019, winning all three. His 2020 season with the Reds was disastrous, pitching to an 18.00 ERA in five games out of the bullpen. His 2021 wasn’t anything special either. The Reds cut him after nine games, two of them starts.

De Leon just wanted the chance to pitch again and prove that he was healthy and effective.

Last night he was perfectly healthy and perfectly effective.

*****

NO RANGERS GAME TODAY.