ARLINGTON, Texas — When C.J. Wilson starts Game 5 of the World Series, it could be his last outing for the Texas Rangers. The left-hander can become a free agent next month.
Wilson insists that he hasn’t even “really thought” about what might happen after Monday night.
“I’m just thinking about the team and where we’re at and being in the World Series obviously, like there’s no extra series after this,” Wilson said Sunday before Game 4. “There’s no galaxy series or universe series or whatever. Just trying to win [Sunday] and win [Monday] and see what we can do back in St. Louis.”
After going 16-7 with a 2.94 ERA during the regular season, Wilson is 0-3 with a 7.17 ERA in four postseason starts. He gave up three runs and walked six over 5 2/3 innings in losing Game 1 of the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.
So, just how does Wilson block out questions about free agency?
“As soon as the question gets up, I start thinking about something else. I don’t even pay attention to it,” Wilson said. “I just picture myself like surfing or whatever, somewhere else. So as soon as you start talking and I hear the word ’free agency,’ I just go (hums), and I don’t let it register. You’ve got to think about it this way, right: There’s nothing I can do to control, like, what happens, what any team offers me or what any team wants from me or whatever.
“I’m obviously not going to be a second baseman or a closer or a right fielder. That’s the only thing I’m certain about, is that I’m going to be a left-handed pitcher next year,” he said. “Who it’s for, I don’t know yet.”
Holliday’s view
Matt Holliday had the best seat in the house for perhaps the greatest offensive performance in World Series history. He was watching from the on-deck circle as Albert Pujols hit three homers, drove in six runs with five hits and finished with a record 14 total bases Saturday night in Game 3.
“When he gets in that zone and that confidence is there, it’s fun to watch,” Holliday said.
Holliday said that once Pujols got on a roll, he expected it to continue. It started with a pair of singles, followed by three straight homers, all on fastballs from different pitchers.
“He’s the best I’ve seen at what I call piling on,” Holliday said. “He gets that fourth, fifth hit.”
Pujols’ third homer tied a World Series record set by Babe Ruth (twice) and matched previously by only Reggie Jackson (in 1977). The offensive outburst set or tied a litany of records, so many that they were still being recited over the press box PA system when the Cardinals were in the field. Because the system was played in the auxiliary press box behind left field, Holliday heard them all.
“So I’ve had about an hour to put it all in perspective,” he said.
And?
“It’s pretty good,” Holliday said, laughing. “It was pretty incredible to watch. Make sure you tell everybody I was here, and I was part of it.”
Torre job hunting?
Joe Torre might want to get back on the bench as a manager under a couple of conditions. They have to do with Tony La Russa and October.
“Now, if he passes me in postseason wins, I’m going to start managing again,” Torre said Sunday, obviously joking because he added that he would want to manage only postseason games.
La Russa earned his 68th postseason win when the Cardinals whipped Texas 16-7 in Game 3 of the World Series on Saturday night. That put him 16 behind Torre, now Major League Baseball’s executive vice president of baseball operations.
Torre won four World Series and 76 postseason games with the New York Yankees. He got eight more postseason victories with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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