Harang's Sad Farewell

No crying in baseball eh.  Don't tell Aaron Harang.  The big hulking 6'8" gentle giant most likely has pitched his last game as a Red.

Harang was a young pitcher just reaching his prime when the Reds sent Jose Guillen to Oakland for Harang.  That deal came at the end of the 2003 season, engineered by Brad Kuhlman, who was an interim GM after Jim Bowden's firing.

The big righthander became the ace of a team three two seasons into its streak of nine straight losing seasons.  He won 53 games in his first four seasons and this spring made the Opening Day start for the fifth straight year.

The last three season have been rough.  He won six games all three years but suffered 17,14 and 7 losses.

When the Reds decided that Edinson Volquez was going to Open the playoffs, he was scratched from Sunday's start and Harang was given the last day assignment.  It is likely that the former ace will not be able to pitch in the postseason and it hurts.

Stopping to wipe tears from his face Harang knew that he may be left out of the postseason and worse may not be back next year.  The Reds have an option for next year.  If they exercise the option they have to pay him $12.5 million or they can buy it out for $2 million which makes more financials sense, since they have built a stable of good young pitchers.

"I don't really know.  I guess.  You just kinda know in a way but just, sorry, for me and my family.  My daughter always grew up here.  Besides regular home, this is the only place she's known.  It's tough.  God I thought I'd never do this but its not completely over yet so we'll see what happens,"  he said through the tears.

They crowd cheered him as he walked off the field, a blister on his right middle finger that prevented him from throwing anything other than fastballs.

"That made it tough," he sobbed.  "You never ever hoped it would end that way. It is what it is.  Those people were paying attention.  You have to give them credit for that. We've been here for the good and the bad. A lot more of the bad.  We got it turned around.  Hopefully we can keep it going.  It's been a tough seven years but its been an enjoyable seven years.  The city has been good to me.  It's just, I'll definitely miss it here.  Cincinnati has a place in the back of my heart.  You never know what's going to happen."

His language indicates that he feels the run is over here in Cincinnati.  The pronoun has changed from we to they.

"The you group of guys and the new players that they have, you know the guys that they have that will be here for the future, you definitely see that change.  They just have to keep it going," Harang continued.

Dusty Baker has empathy and appreciation for what Harang has been through.

"I wanted to give him the ball personally today," Baker said.  "It's been a tough three years for him.  I wanted to get him to 7-7.  He hurt his finger a couple days ago and he didn't like the way it healed but he wanted the ball.  You like his attitude."

Baker has not ruled Harang out completely.  He told Carlos Fisher, Chris Valaika, Matt Maloney, who got the win Sunday, Sam LeCure and Jordan Smith that they are going to Arizona to work out and be ready for later rounds of the playoffs.

"We haven't set our roster yet.  Harang is not going home and he's not going to Arizona," Baker said.

There were some personal goals that were reached on this last day.

Jay Bruce hit his 25th home run and drove in his 70th run.  Drew Stubbs stole his 30th base and Francisco Cordero saved his 40th game.

"It means a lot to me," Cordero said.  "I am happy the way I finished the last five or six outings.  I had two or three times this season with some bumps in the road, so that is a pretty good number."