by Carroll Lee Ashburn
Meet the players: John Rice
Named the most valuable Texaco of all time by his teammates in 1972, John Rice joined the Texacos in 1960, along with catcher Joe Sliakis and outfielder Tom Evans. All three were playing for the Paulette and Company team of Irvington at the time.
Rice went on to be the Texacos’ top pitcher, winning over 150 games as a member of the team’s “Big Three” pitching staff.
Rice ended his career holding nine pitching records, more than all other Texacos pitchers combined. He holds the record for most wins in a season, 28; most lifetime wins, 152; most games pitched in a season, 34; most games pitched in a lifetime, 204; most shutouts in lifetime, 27; most consecutive shutouts, 4; and most consecutive scoreless innings, 35.
His 1,143 total strikeouts was another…
