El Guapo, as Rich Garces was known, was a middle reliever with what could charitably be called a weight problem. Despite this, or perhaps because of this, Garces was hugely popular with Red Sox fans, a bit of a cult hero to be honest. He was a bit of a jolly heavyset man.Garces was picked up off the scrap heap prior to the 1996 season to serve as another option in the bullpen. He eventually pitched in 37 games, with a bad ERA, but a great strikeout ratio. He then pitched in only 12 games the next year but he bounced back to have a good year in 1998. After being re-signed as a free agent after the 1998 season, Garces had a huge year in 1999. He went 5-1 with a 1.55 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 40.2 innings. It was in 1999 that Garces's popularity grew.
In 2000, Garces had his best record, 8-1, but his ERA increased. However, he did strike out 69 in 74.2 innings. He was once again good in 2001, though his numbers continued to slide a bit. 2002 was a bad year and Garces was released in August. His popularity remained, but he never again pitched in the Major Leagues.
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