Ramon Garcia pitched into the seventh inning of this July 1991 contest and allowed three hits for the White Sox, but came away without the win, The Munster Times wrote.
Garcia, though, still just eight appearances into his young career, just looked ahead to his next appearance, The Times wrote.
"No luck," Garcia told The Times. "I try to do the best I can do. Next time I'll try the same thing and do the best I can do."
Garcia went on to see 15 total starts for the White Sox that year, and pick up four wins. He then returned to the majors for two more seasons - five years later - with the Brewers and the Astros.
Garcia's career began in 1987, signed by the White Sox as a free agent out of his native Venezuela.
Garcia started with the White Sox in the rookie Gulf Coast League. He played his first three seasons there. before getting to move up to high-A Sarasota in 1990.
He went 9-14 at Sarasota, with a 3.92 ERA over 26 starts. He also got an appearance up at AAA Vancouver. He gave up two hits in an inning of work there.
Then, in 1991, he saw AA Birmingham and Vancouver again, and Chicago. He debuted with the White Sox May 31. He then saw those 15 starts and one relief outing. Late that July, after he was supposed to be in the bullpen for a bit, he quickly returned to starting.
"I'm happy he's giving me a chance to pitch tomorrow," Garcia told The Chicago Tribune of his manager Jeff Torborg. "Whatever Jeff wants me to do, I'll do - bullpen or start."
Garcia finished that year with a 4-4 record and a 5.40 ERA. He then returned to the minors. He saw Vancouver for all of 1992, then a shortened seven-game 1993. He's not credited as playing in 1994, then credited with just two starts in 1995 - in Taiwan for the Brother Elephants.
He returned stateside with the Brewers in 1996, and also returned to the majors. He saw 11 outings at AAA New Orleans and 37 with Milwaukee, mostly in relief. He went 4-4 with Milwaukee, with a 6.66 ERA.
Garcia moved to the Astros for 1997 and he played the entire season in Houston. He saw 42 outings, 20 starts. He went 9-8, with a 3.69 ERA. That September, he threw a complete game shutout against his old club, the Brewers, helping improve his team's playoff standing.
"That didn't make it special," Garcia told The Associated Press of beating his old team. "It was big because we had lost six games in a row and because we are in first place."
The Astros and Garcia did make the postseason. Garcia got into two games in relief. He gave up two unearned runs in a third of an inning in Game 2 of the NLDS, then no runs while recording two outs in Game 3. Those postseason outings proved the last outings of his career.
- Munster Times, July 7, 1991: Hrbek
- Chicago Tribune, July 27, 1991: Torborg, Sox switch to Plan B
- Raleigh News and Observer, Sept. 4, 1997: Garcia helps Astros snap skid at six
Made the Majors:1,287-33.7%-X
Never Made Majors:2,538-66.3%
5+ Seasons in the Majors:526
10+ Seasons in the Minors:321
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