Texas Rangers fans across the country are celebrating following the team’s World Series run, and there’s reason for Gator Nation to join the party.
Former Florida right-hander Dane Dunning pitched in three of the five World Series games for Texas, helping secure the Commissioner’s Trophy. Dunning didn’t win it all at UF, but he was a member of the 2016 team that finished 52-16 and was eliminated in the College World Series.
As a junior, Dunning appeared in 33 games for Florida, mostly as a reliever. He finished his Florida career with 174 strikeouts, a 3.26 ERA and a .222 batting average against over 163 innings.
The Gators won it all the next year without Dunning, but it’s hard to turn down first-round money from the pros. The Washington Nationals selected Dunning with the 29th overall pick in the 2016 draft and traded him in 2017 for Adam Eaton.
He spent most of 2017 in High-A, starting 22 games for the Winston-Salem Dash. He returned to the Dash for just four starts in 2018 before being called up to Double-A Birmingham, where he finished the season. Dunning missed all of 2019 and half of 2020 after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
The Rangers acquired him in 2021 and now his name is etched in the history books as a World Series champion.
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