Couple of quick notes before we get on to number 38 in T.R. Sullivan's list of the Top 50 Seasons in Rangers history. First, the Senators invade the bottom portion of the list. Dick Donovan appeared just two spots ago and there are two more Washington players before after Bosman before we get to number 50. With the limited number of Senators cards in my collection and the need to have cards to post on Senators Saturdays I will have to be creative and post things like this Strat card. That leads to the second note. As you can see, this particular card is mis-cut. The angle of the printing is not the scanner's fault. In the early days of Strat the cards came in nine card sheets that had to be cut apart for play. The result was a lot of mis-cut cards. Today the cards still come in nine card sheets but are perforated to eliminate the mis-cutting.
Ok, on to Dick Bosman's 1969 season. The Senators who eventually moved to Texas were pretty bad. 1969 was the best pre-Texas year with the team posting an 86-76 record. A large part of that was probably due to the pitching staff, much to manager Ted Williams' dismay. Bosman was the crown jewel of the starting rotation.
Dick made 31 appearances for Washington in 1969, 26 of those were starts. He ended the season with a 14-5 record. Over 193 innings pitched he compiled a league-leading 2.19 ERA and a team best 1.010 WHIP. He struck out 99 batters while allowing just 39 walks. That worked out to a career best 2.54 strikeout to walk ratio. That performance garnered the 25-year-old some MVP consideration but he didn't get a trip to the All-Star game.
Bosman's 1969 season was a good one. It looks even better when you consider that Major League Baseball lowered the mound between the 1968 and 1969 seasons. More than a few pitchers struggled with the adjustment. Apparently Dick Bosman got it figured out pretty quick.
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