Mark Langston was Seattle's best Pitcher, but the Mariners were struggling, and they traded him in his contract year to the Montreal Expos (who sent them a young unknown named Randy Johnson) for their attempt to make the playoffs.  The Expos plummeted (through no fault of Langston) and the flamethrower they rented left to return back to the West Coast, as he signed with the California Angels as a Free Agent in 1990.

Langston may not have had the same Strikeout numbers as a Mariner, but he still had a potent fastball.  In his first season with the Angels, he was not great, but Langston rebounded in 1991, with a 19-8 and 3.00 ERA year that netted him his first All-Star Game appearance since 1987.  He was sixth in Cy Young voting, and this was arguably his best season with California.

Langston was an All-Star again for the Angels in 1992 and 1993, and he was lauded for his defensive skills, winning five consecutive Gold Gloves (1991-95).  He left the Angels for San Diego after the 1997 Season, and while wearing the Halo, he had a record of 88-74 with 1,112 Strikeouts.

Mark Langston was one of the most underrated flamethrowers in baseball history, and let’s give him a bit of due here.

Mark Langston was a second round pick in 1981 and would debut with the Mariners in 1984, where he had a stellar rookie campaign.  The product of San Jose State went 17-10 and would lead the AL in Strikeouts with 204.  He was the runner-up to the Rookie of the Year, coincidentally losing to his teammate, Alvin Davis.