Roy Oswalt started for the Rangers against the Blue Jays on Saturday in place of Ryan Dempster, who did not make the trip to Toronto for what reportedly is an odd reason. The Rangers only said Dempster was missing the series because of “personal reasons,” but Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News may know what the problem was.
Grant reported on Twitter that Dempster “may have lost his passport or something along those lines.”
Dempster didn’t have to worry about a passport the last several seasons because he was playing for the Cubs in the National League and hadn’t pitched in Canada since 2002, per Grant.
What’s strange is that Dempster is from British Columbia, so one would figure that would make things easier. Guess not.
Oswalt went 4.2 innings allowing two hits, two walks and one run. The Rangers won 2-1 thanks to the pitching and Nelson Cruz’s two-run home run in the fifth. Dempster is scheduled to start on Tuesday at home against the Orioles. At least he can take solace in knowing he’s not the only athlete to encounter this problem recently.
H/T NESN
