The Rangers’ First Two Dozen Years: Bad Management, Worse Baseball

February 18, 2019/in Essays.1972-Rangers /by sabr

This article was written by Joe Stroop

This article was published in 1972 Texas Rangers essays

The dominant characteristics of the Texas Rangers’ early history were inept management, pitiful baseball, and terrible attendance. The team proved incapable of coming up with a workable plan and sticking with it. This premise was stated well by a presumably neutral observer, veteran Chicago sports columnist Bernie Lincicome: “Texas has been a franchise governed by impulse, impatience and poor judgment.”1

Frankly, though, it didn’t take a lot of baseball acumen to figure that out – you just had to watch what was going on.

The team’s first year in Texas was 1972, after owner Bob Short and Arlington, Texas, Mayor Tom Vandergriff persuaded the other American League owners to let the franchise relocate from Washington, where the team had been terrible for years. As early as 1909, writer Charles Dryden had coined a legendary phrase: “Washington – first in war, first in peace, and last in the American League.”2

The franchise’s final season in Washington, 1971, featured yet more poor performance from the Senators, punctuated by rioting in the final game by fans angry that Short was moving the team.3

That first season after the move from D.C., the Texas Rangers lost 100 games, finishing – where else? – last in the American League West Division, 38½ games out of first place. The best player was a journeyman pitcher, Mike Paul. Hall of Famer Ted Williams completed his fourth year as manager of the team, and wearily decided that it would be his last.

A few names on that first Texas team might be familiar to Rangers baseball fans: slugger Frank Howard, slugger-to-be Jeff Burroughs, infielder Toby Harrah, and rookie Tom Grieve. Burroughs would soon earn the American League MVP Award and Grieve would become the team’s general manager after his playing days were over. Grieve and Harrah are members of the Rangers Hall of Fame.4

The rest of that team was players who were hoping to make it, or trying to hang on. It was a sad, futile season that drew fewer than 700,000 Texas baseball fans, which put owner Short in a near-desperate financial situation. He had bought the team hoping to duplicate the windfall he had reaped when he bought the NBA Minneapolis Lakers for $500,000, moved them to Los Angeles and sold them five years later for $5 million.5

But without good attendance, then the primary source of revenue, Short had two problems: funding operating losses from his own pocket, and attracting eager buyers. Naturally, he spent considerable time calculating how to pull fans to Arlington Stadium. And since he had anointed himself general manager, Short’s chores also included hiring a new manager and acquiring better players.

For a manager, Short chose the New York Mets farm director, Dorrel Norman Elvert “Whitey” Herzog, who had no previous managing experience. Herzog asked Short for time to build the Rangers for long-term, not immediate, success, and Short agreed. To his lasting regret, Herzog believed him.

The Rangers, by virtue of their terrible regular-season record, would have the first pick in the coming player draft, but Short had no intention of waiting until then to beef up the roster. Between the July trading deadline and the end of the year, he traded away nine players and sold two others (one of them Frank Howard), getting a like number in return.

But the only big name the Rangers acquired in all that commotion was former batting champion Rico Carty from the Braves. For Texas, he hit a miserable .232 and was gone after just 86 games – a harbinger of things to come. This high-volume roster churn in search of big-name stars who would draw fans would dominate the Rangers’ approach for most of the decade.6

To boost attendance while the team wasn’t winning, Short resorted to giveaways and other promotions. During the 1973 season, he bought thousands of cheap giveaways and used them to stage numerous promotions. There were Cap Nights, T-shirt Nights, Calendar Nights, Rangers Keychain Nights, a Panty Hose Night, even a Hot Pants Night, for which the entrants outnumbered the paying fans.7

The most successful promotion, in terms of fan acceptance, had to be scrapped almost immediately: Bat Night. Any youngster who attended a game would be given a Little-League-sized bat, which, of course, the kids enjoyed bashing against the old stadium’s metal seats and barriers all game long. The racket was a huge distraction. Quickly, the Rangers wised up and gave the kids coupons they could redeem for bats after the game.8

But the biggest promotion of the new season was centered on a player the Rangers acquired in the draft. Two separate agendas were in play. General manager Joe Burke and manager Whitey Herzog were looking for a player to build a franchise around. Short was looking for someone to fill the seats.

With high-school left-hander David Clyde, they could have had both if they’d handled it right. Clyde was the best pitching prospect most scouts had seen that year. He had two plus pitches – a buzzing fastball and a hammer curve. The Rangers chose him ahead of Dave Winfield and Robin Yount. He agreed to terms before he graduated and made his first major-league appearance six days after his senior prom, wearing jersey number 32 in honor of Sandy Koufax.9

Herzog had wanted to send Clyde to the minors for seasoning, of course, but Short wanted him on the mound in Arlington Stadium, promising it was only for a few games.

June 27, 1973, was Clyde’s debut and Short’s biggest, best promotion yet. It was almost a circus. The pregame celebration featured Clyde’s family, three hula-dancers, a papier-mâché giraffe on wheels, a character in a half-bird, half-fish costume and two live lion cubs. It was a standing-room-only sellout. Clyde walked the first two batters, then struck out the side – and the Rangers won. After the game, Short said, “According to my calculations, on gate receipts alone, in two starts I will have earned back Clyde’s entire … signing bonus.”10

The next night, fewer than 4,000 fans came to the park, so Short told Herzog the youngster would be with the Rangers for the rest of the year. It was shortsighted and, predictably, detrimental to Clyde’s development. He lasted less than five years in the majors.

Looking back on it, Grieve said, “It was the dumbest thing you could ever do to a high-school pitcher. In my opinion, it ruined his career. Bob Short did it because he needed the money. So David served a purpose for Bob Short, at the expense of what I firmly believe would have been a nice 12- to 15-year big-league career.”11

The Clyde extravaganza wasn’t the final splash of the season. In September Short made more headlines when he fired Herzog to replace him with the mercurial Billy Martin, who himself had just been fired by the Detroit Tigers. Here again, Short was looking toward the box office.12

At the news conference announcing the hiring of Martin, Short said, “If my mother were managing the Rangers and I had the opportunity to hire Billy Martin, I’d fire my mother.”13

It was Short’s last major decision with the team. Just before the new season began, he sold out to a local group led by Fort Worth millionaire Brad Corbett, who had parlayed a small-business loan into a multimillion-dollar plastic-pipe business.

As the 1974 season began, it didn’t take long for the brash Corbett and the equally brash manager Martin to collide. Martin, like Whitey Herzog before him, demanded that young Clyde be allowed some time in the minor leagues, and Corbett, like Short, refused – so Martin simply refused to play the youngster. This further stunted Clyde’s development, physically as well as emotionally.

But even without Clyde, positive things were happening on the field. Jeff Burroughs had a career year in his second big-league season, batting .301 with 25 home runs and a league-leading 118 RBIs, to win the 1974 American League Most Valuable Player Award. Another breakthrough player was Mike Hargrove, the Rangers’ first native Texan. He made the jump from Class A ball to hit .353 and earn the AL Rookie of the Year Award. He was joined by rookie catcher Jim Sundberg, who went to the All-Star Game. Veteran right-hander Ferguson Jenkins, acquired from the Cubs, won 25 games, was named Comeback Player of the Year and finished second in the Cy Young Award voting. And young right-hander Jim Bibby tossed the team’s first no-hitter.

The Rangers finished the season 84-76, second in the AL West, and drew 1,193,902 fans, fourth in the league. Thanks to a quality manager in Martin and some on-field talent, the team had become relevant for Dallas-Fort Worth sports fans.

Corbett, like Short, preferred the instant gratification of showy transactions over the hard work of player development. For example, his deal for Jenkins had cost the team future four-time batting champion Bill Madlock. In 1974, through trade, sale, or release, the Rangers got rid of 25 players and acquired 17 others.

Corbett put it to the floorboard in 1975, with offseason deals that landed aging outfielder Willie Davis and left-hander Clyde Wright, a 20-game loser the prior year, at the cost of top pitching prospects Pete Broberg and Don Stanhouse, plus slick-fielding shortstop Pete Mackanin. Then, shortly after the season began, Corbett sent pitchers Jim Bibby, Jackie Brown, and Rick Waits, plus $100,000 to Cleveland for 36-year-old spitballer Gaylord Perry.

It wasn’t enough. In July, with the Rangers at 44-51 and Martin constantly sniping at Corbett’s personnel decisions, Corbett fired the manager. To succeed Martin, he named third-base coach Frank Lucchesi, whose only prior managerial experience had been leading the 1970-72 Phillies to a dismal 166-233 record. The Rangers finished that season 79-83, third in the division.

And 1976 was even worse. Pitchers Jenkins, Wright, and Bill Hands were sent packing. Perry was a year older and no one else picked up the slack. At the deadline, Corbett sent youngsters Mike Cubbage, Jim Gideon, Bill Singer, and Roy Smalley along with $250,000 to the Minnesota Twins for pitchers Bert Blyleven, who finished the year at 9-11, and Danny Thompson.

The team never found first gear and finished 76-86, tied with the Angels for fourth place in the AL West. The team had some players – rising fan favorites Harrah, Grieve, and Sundberg, who won his first Gold Glove. But Burroughs’ production fell as the league’s pitchers caught up with him.

As the 1977 season approached, Corbett signed two big-name free agents, former A’s shortstop Bert Campaneris and former Braves right-hander Doyle Alexander. He also shuffled Burroughs off to Atlanta for five players, only one of whom, pitcher Adrian Devine, made a positive contribution.

But the season’s highlight came in spring training when fiery infielder Lenny Randle violently assaulted his manager. Rookie Bump Wills – son of Maury – had supplanted Randle at second base. Randle, unhappy over the demotion, asked Lucchesi for a few words, then suddenly knocked the skipper to the ground and punched him until teammates intervened. Lucchesi was hospitalized for a week. Randle was fined, suspended, charged with assault, and quickly shipped off to the Mets for, in effect, nothing in return.

If that weren’t enough, the Rangers also went through four managers in six days. As the team languished, Corbett fired Lucchesi, chose coach Connie Ryan as interim manager until he hired Eddie Stanky – who quit after one game! Finally, Billy Hunter joined the team from Earl Weaver’s Baltimore staff.

Some good things did happen that year. Harrah and Wills had back-to-back inside-the-park home runs on consecutive pitches in Yankee Stadium; the team turned its first triple play and got a no-hitter from Blyleven. Under Hunter, the Rangers rallied to win 21 of their last 31 games for a 94-68 record, the team’s highest win total ever, but not good enough to catch the red-hot Kansas City Royals.

For the 1978 season, Corbett signed free agent Richie Zisk, who had belted 30 homers and knocked in 101 runs for the White Sox. Corbett also traded away Clyde, Perry, and slugger Willie Horton for no substantial return.

Then, at the winter meetings, Corbett went into orbit, orchestrating a four-team deal that sent five players packing, including Blyleven and Grieve – the last original Ranger – for outfielder Al Oliver from the Pirates and lefty Jon Matlack from the Mets, plus some spare parts. Then in May, he traded for Bobby Bonds.

Despite the constant roster churn, the Rangers did enjoy a rare, brief sort of stability during the 1978 season – there were no changes in ownership, the front office, the manager, or the coaching staff – and finished tied for second in the division. Sundberg earned another Gold Glove and another All-Star Game berth. Matlack had his best year as a Ranger: 15-13, 2.27 ERA in 270 innings.

But, as always, you couldn’t have a 1970s Rangers season without some significant controversy, this time courtesy of the newly acquired and ever-erratic pitcher Dock Ellis. After a fight broke out on a team charter, manager Hunter imposed a no-alcohol rule. Ellis, a controversial sort, said he would bring his own booze. He characterized Hunter as a tyrant, telling reporters, “He may be a Hitler but he ain’t makin’ no lampshade out of me.”14

After the season, Hunter and the front office wanted Ellis gone, but Corbett believed Ellis was amusing and good for publicity – so he fired Hunter instead.

Another new season, 1979, saw another new manager – this time, it was tough-as-nails Pat Corrales, who had been a catcher for nine years in the National League. This was his first managing job and he took the team to a third-place finish, at 83-79. Buddy Bell, acquired from Cleveland, became one of the team’s steadiest, best players for the next six years. Bell earned a Gold Glove and finished among the top 10 vote-getters for the MVP. Corbett, continuing his habit of shopping for big names, also added closer Jim Kern and three big-name former New York Yankees: Oscar Gamble, Mickey Rivers, and Sparky Lyle.

One move turned out to be more significant than it seemed at the time – original Ranger Tom Grieve retired as a player, joined the Rangers front office, and began getting ready for the next season’s duties as the color commentator for the team’s TV broadcasts.

Interim

One thing should be noted at this point: The 1970-1979 decade was the very last time that major-league baseball was openly tolerant of what were euphemistically called “characters” – perpetrators of the goofy, nutty behavior that had been so typical of players, managers, and owners alike. The reason is simple: money. In 1970 the average player salary was about $29,000, and total TV revenue was about $176 million. By 1982, the average player salary had grown to $245,000, and TV revenue exceeded $250 million.15 Baseball started to slowly squeeze out those who treated the game as a game. It was a serious, money-making business.

During the 1980 season, the Rangers continued a pattern that had been established before the franchise even moved to Texas: One good year under a new manager, then a quick slide back to mediocrity, or even worse. After finishing four games over .500 for Corrales the previous season, the Rangers fell to 76-85, finishing fourth. That was finally enough for Corbett, as he and his partners sold the team to Fort Worth oil millionaire Eddie Chiles.

Fun, flamboyant American League umpire Ron Luciano provided the perfect commentary on Corbett’s turbulent ownership tenure: “Brad thinks his ballplayers are like his plastic pipes – they need to be flushed all the time.”16

Among the season’s on-field highlights, home-grown right-hander Danny Darwin – nicknamed the Bonham Bullet for his fastball and his North Texas hometown – posted a 13-4 won-lost record with a 2.63 ERA in his first full season. Meanwhile, veteran Jenkins became the fourth pitcher to win 100 games in each league.

The 1981 season saw the beginning of the conflicted relationship between the flint-hard new owner Chiles and his chosen new manager, Don Zimmer, a baseball lifer. Zim spent more than 60 years in pro baseball, from 1949 until his death in 2014. He claimed he never took a paycheck outside of pro ball except for some Social Security payments.

Chiles, born in Itasca, Texas, clawed his way to the top of the oil business. He started his business, the Western Company, in 1939 with two trucks and three employees. He grew it to become one of the wealthiest men in Texas. At one point, he ran a series of radio commercials with the tagline, “If you don’t have an oil well, GIT ONE! You’ll love doing business with Western.”

Chiles was determined to run the Rangers the way he ran his business – which meant concrete, “attainable” goals with frequent individual reviews. Zimmer thought that was ridiculous and threw Chiles’ written instructions in the trash.

The 1981 season was interrupted by a players’ strike. At the time, Zim’s Rangers were just 1½ games out of first place. But the strike lasted 50 days and when the season resumed, the team never regained its momentum. It finished 57-48, five games back of eventual division champion Oakland.

General manager Eddie Robinson decided that what the Rangers needed for 1982 was an athletic outfielder who could hit, prompting him to make one of the worst trades in the team’s history. He sent two promising young pitchers, Ron Darling and Walt Terrell, to the Mets for Lee Mazzilli. Darling had been the team’s number-1 draft pick, and Terrell was their number-1 pitching prospect at the time. Mazzilli? He hated Texas from the minute he arrived. When Zimmer tried to put him in left field, Mazzilli said, “Left field is an idiot’s position.”17

Mazzilli pouted all year and was hitting .241 when the team finally shipped him to the Yankees for aging shortstop Bucky Dent. Meanwhile, over the next six seasons, Darling and Terrell combined to win 146 games for their new teams.

When the Rangers came home from a four-city July road trip that featured 10 losses, Chiles told Zimmer he was fired, but asked him not to tell anyone and would he please stay on until Wednesday? Even worse, Chiles chose Doug Rader to manage the team, which turned out to be one of the worst personnel decisions in the history of the franchise. Rader proved to be a complete failure as a manager, and the man who was runner-up in the interviews was Jim Leyland, who later won pennants in both leagues and a World Series.

The 1982 team finished 64-98, second worst in the division. There were two on-the-field bright spots: Outfielder Larry Parrish hit three grand slams, with 19 RBIs, in one week, and rookie outfielder Dave Hostetler – nicknamed “The Hoss” – bashed 10 home runs in June, 22 in his first 76 games that season. Unfortunately for Hostetler, that’s when big-league pitchers found the holes in his swing, and he was off the team by 1984.

Rader’s first full year as manager, 1983, saw the team leap to 11 games over .500 in the early going, then – as Rader began to assert his “personality” – struggle to finish in third place, at 77-85. Rader became a disaster with players, fans, and the media. Several years later, Rader admitted he had done a “terrible” job. He actually instigated feuds with his most experienced players, with the beat writers, even the fans. Rader later admitted he was a terror, that no one wanted to play for him, and he didn’t blame them.18

In 1984 the team finished 69-92, last in the division and 14½ games out of first. Even worse, Rader ran off longtime fan favorite Sundberg, citing a lack of toughness. Sundberg went to Milwaukee for Brewers catcher Ned Yost. At the time, Rader said, “We made the deal because Ned Yost is a better catcher than Jim Sundberg. Period.”19

Here are the facts:

Sundberg won six consecutive Gold Glove Awards. He consistently led AL catchers in fielding percentage, putouts and assists. He was Rookie of the Year and made three All-Star teams. He averaged 126 games a year in 12 seasons. His caught-stealing rate was 41 percent. His bWAR with the Rangers was 34.7.20

Ned Yost lasted one season with Texas. He caught 78 games. His caught-stealing rate was 17 percent. His bWAR with the Rangers was -2.4.21

On the positive side of the ledger, third baseman Bell earned another All-Star Game appearance, his sixth consecutive Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger Award. Tom Grieve was named farm director.

In 1985 Grieve took over as general manager and chose his pal Bobby Valentine to replace Rader. The team finished 62-99, last again, but Valentine had more polish than Rader, was better with the fans and media, and was committed to working with Grieve to build some success.

On the field, rookie outfielder Oddibe McDowell became the first Ranger to hit for the cycle. Smooth, powerful right-hander Jose Guzman made his major-league debut. He would post four double-digit winning seasons for Texas before shoulder problems ended his career.

The next season under Valentine, 1986, saw the Rangers challenge for the division title, finishing second at 85-75. Valentine finished second in the Manager of the Year Award voting. Two rookies, outfielders Pete Incaviglia and Ruben Sierra, added their muscle to that of veterans Parrish and first baseman Pete O’Brien to form the Rangers’ power parade. Incaviglia had made a big impression during spring training when he hit a line drive through – not over, but through – the left-field fence. Looking at the hole in the fence, Valentine said, “That’s one-inch plywood. Awesome.”22

Ageless wonder Charlie Hough – holder of the team career records in wins and strikeouts – was a 17-game winner for those Rangers, while 22-year-old rookie Bobby Witt went 11-9. And on the business front, the Rangers turned an operating profit for the first time.23

The next season, 1987, was not quite as much fun, even from the beginning. The Rangers opened the season 1-10, including nine straight losses. McDowell, at the team’s “Welcome Home” banquet and fan fest in late April, cut his hand trying to butter a dinner roll. Closer Greg Harris, who had demanded a 100 percent raise based on his 20 saves the year earlier, missed three weeks in August and September with a strained elbow, sustained when he flicked sunflower seeds at a friend in the stands one afternoon.24

The big-four bats continued to thump – Parrish had 32 home runs, Sierra 30, Incavigilia 27, and O’Brien 23. The Rangers outscored every other American League West team, but still fell back into the cellar, at 75-87. Pitching coach Tom House recommended subliminal tape recordings to free up a pitcher’s subconscious so he could find the strike zone, and having pitchers warm up by throwing footballs to each other. Asked if the football drill was helping his pitching motion, the veteran Hough replied, “No, but we lead the league in third-down conversions.”25

On the business side, owner Chiles bought Arlington Stadium from the City of Arlington.

The team continued to struggle in 1988. Slugger Parrish needed knee surgery before the season started, his bat never recovered, and he was gone before the All-Star break.

Closer Harris was gone after the sunflower-seed stunt. Budding starter Edwin Correa tried to come back from a sore shoulder but could not pitch through the pain – he would eventually have career-ending surgery.

The team had eight straight wins in May, but then lost 19 of 31 games. The Rangers’ only bright spot the second half of the year was fireballer Bobby Witt, who had been demoted in May for his inability to throw strikes. He came back up in July, having added a forkball to his repertoire, and rattled off nine straight complete games.

Nonetheless, the team finished two games out of the cellar, at 70-91. It was the worst record of Valentine’s tenure to date, but Chiles gave him a two-year extension.

Looking ahead to 1989, GM Grieve decided standing pat was not working, so he went on a buying spree. The team traded six players, including closer Mitch Williams, to the Chicago Cubs for three players – primarily young first baseman Rafael Palmeiro, who had hit .307 the previous year. Also, the Rangers sent three players, including starters McDowell and O’Brien, to Cleveland for second baseman Julio Franco, a career .295 hitter at the time. Then, Grieve made a trade he later regretted – three players, including future superstar Sammy Sosa, went to the White Sox for DH Harold Baines, who never found his stride with Texas.

In December the team made local headlines with the signing of free-agent pitcher Nolan Ryan, who was immediately installed as the staff ace, and fans’ expectations rose tremendously. Joining Ryan were newcomers Kenny Rogers and Kevin Brown. The Rangers’ busy offseason was noticed around the league, with Oakland GM Sandy Alderson saying, “The most important byproduct of all that change is the change in their image. And self-image.”26

Ryan won 16 games and led the American League with 301 strikeouts, including career strikeout number 5,000. New closer Jeff Russell led the league in saves and posted a 1.98 ERA. Sierra led the league in triples, RBIs, slugging percentage, and total bases, was named to his first All-Star team and captured the Silver Slugger Award.

This season also marked the major-league debut of 19-year-old outfielder Juan Gonzalez. He would play 13 years with Texas, win the AL Most Valuable Player Award twice, play in three All-Star Games and win the Silver Slugger Award six times. As of 2016 he held the team record for home runs and RBIs.

The team improved to 83-79, but three other West Division teams won 90 games or more and Texas finished fourth, 16 games off the pace.

Shortly after the 1990 season began, owner Chiles – whose oilfield company was being pummeled by the energy crisis – sold the Rangers to an investment group fronted by future President George W. Bush. It was the fourth new ownership team in 17 years but proved to be the most stable up to then.

The group announced plans to build a new stadium – The Ballpark In Arlington. Arlington voters loved the idea and, the following year, approved a sales-tax increase to help fund it.

During the season Ryan again led the league in strikeouts, became the oldest pitcher to throw a no-hitter and earned his 300th career win. Bobby Witt won 17 games and Incaviglia bopped 24 home runs, but the team finished third, at 83-79.

Catcher Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez made his debut in the 1991 season at age 19. Rodriguez grew to become one of the finest catchers in the game. He was named to 10 All-Star teams in his 12 years with the Rangers, and won 10 Gold Gloves, six Silver Sluggers and one AL Most Valuable Player Award.

In May Ryan threw his seventh career no-hitter, three more than any other pitcher. Gonzalez hit 27 home runs and drove in 102 runs, while Palmeiro batted .322 and chipped in 26 homers.

Construction began on the new stadium in 1992, as the Rangers finished the season eight games under .500, at 77-85. The poor play earned Valentine the boot as manager in July, with coach Harrah taking over in the interim.

At the trading deadline, Grieve completed another blockbuster trade, sending Sierra, Witt, and Russell to Oakland for controversial outfielder Jose Canseco, who brought the national spotlight to Texas, and not in a good way. In a game against Cleveland, Canseco lost sight of a fly ball, which bounced off his head and over the fence for a home run. But the primary attention Canseco brought to Texas came later, from his 2005 book, Juiced – his personal account of his own steroid use and those of teammates, including accusations against many Rangers.

On a more positive note, Grieve persuaded ownership to give scouting director Sandy Johnson a contract extension, cementing the team’s commitment to do a better job of developing its own players.

Kevin Kennedy took over the dugout in 1993 as the Rangers’ new manager – the team’s 15th since 1972. Kennedy got to preside over one of the most memorable events in franchise history, one still talked about today. On August 4 against the White Sox, Ryan plunked third baseman Robin Ventura on the arm with a fastball. Ventura took a moment to think about it, then charged the mound. Ryan caught him in a headlock and punched him six times before the benches emptied and knocked both men to the ground.

Sadly, Ryan’s season and career ended abruptly in September, when he ruptured an elbow ligament in a game against Seattle. He elected to retire at age 46 rather than go through surgery. The team finished second in the division at 86-76.

The Rangers’ new ballpark, modeled after the retro-look Camden Yards in Baltimore, opened in 1994 to great fanfare. It was a big success with fans, who turned out in record numbers – 2.5 million for the strike-shortened season.

In July lefty Kenny Rogers tossed the team’s first perfect game. The Rangers signed first baseman-DH Will Clark to replace Palmeiro and he led the team in batting at .329, while Canseco added 31 home runs. But the team finished 10 games under .500, at 52-62 – technically “first place” in the division because the season was cut short by the players’ strike that resulted in the first World Series cancellation since 1904.

The poor record led to Grieve’s dismissal as GM. He was replaced by Doug Melvin, who chose Johnny Oates to replace Kennedy as manager. Oates would lead the Rangers to their first postseason action just two seasons later.

The team’s first year under Oates, 1995, saw continued success at the plate and mediocre pitching at best. Four hitters reached double-digit home runs, paced by Gonzalez with 27, and Clark added 92 RBIs.

On the mound, lefty Kenny Rogers had a fine 17-7 record, but no other pitcher finished above .500.

The Ballpark in Arlington hosted the 66th All-Star Game in the middle of the year, providing a new kind of excitement for fans, who saw the National League beat the American League, 3-2. For the regular season, also shortened by the players’ strike to 144 games, Texas finished in third place at 74-70, 4½ games behind Seattle.

After two decades featuring varying degrees of futility, frustration, and failure, the 1996 Texas Rangers clinched their first postseason appearance in franchise history, winning the Western Division by 4½ games with a record of 90-72. It was their first 90-win season since 1977. Attendance was a record 2.88 million.

Oates was named co-Manager of the Year, tied with Joe Torre of the Yankees. Gonzalez was the American League MVP with 47 home runs and 144 RBIs. Seven other players had double-digit homers, including newcomers Mickey Tettleton and Dean Palmer.

The Rangers faced the Yankees in the American League Division Series, and won Game One in New York, 6-2, with home runs by Gonzalez and Palmer, and a complete game from John Burkett. However, the Yankees took the next three games to win the series.

This seems an appropriate stopping place, now that we have followed the Rangers from their inception as (in the salty words of Whitey Herzog during a private spring-training conversation) “the worst ****ing team in baseball,” to champion of the American League West. The team would win two more division titles in the next three years. From 1996 through 2015 the Rangers earned seven playoff appearances and two American League pennants. Fun, in the early years, came mostly from off-the-field activities. Mercifully for Rangers fans, their fun can now be found between the lines.

JOE STROOP, retired, spent 55 years as a professional communicator, beginning at age 15 when he took an after-school job as a DJ at the local radio station (best job ever). He earned a degree in journalism and worked at Dallas-Fort Worth radio/TV stations covering local news and sports, including the Texas Rangers’ first opening day. He joined the Associated Press, covering every Rangers home game for several seasons, including the tumultuous Doug Rader era, and was awarded that Holiest of Grails, a BBWAA membership card. Somehow, he was enticed to join the public relations department of a Fort Worth-based airline, later managed his own PR firm, and retired as a regional PR manager for a San Francisco-based national bank. He has continued to write about baseball, contributing “throwback” articles for a Rangers web site and SABR projects. Today, he, his gorgeous wife and two brilliant, successful children are all DFW residents.

Notes

1 Bernie Lincicome, “Rangers Fire Rader for Losing Ugly,” Chicago Tribune, May 17, 1985.

2 baseballhall.org/discover/awards/j-g-taylor-spink/charles-dryden.

3 washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/redskins/history/rfk/articles/baseball.htm.

4 texas.rangers.mlb.com/tex/history/rangers_hall_of_famers.jsp.

5 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Short.

6 baseball-reference.com/players/c/cartyri01.shtml.

7 Mike Shropshire, Seasons in Hell (New York: Donald I. Fine Books, 1996), 67.

8 Rusty Burson, 100 Things Rangers Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die (Chicago: Triumph Books, 2012), 237.

9 Josh Lewin, Ballgame (Chicago: Triumph Books, 2012), 16.

10 Shropshire, 69.

11 dallasnews.com/sports/texas-rangers/headlines/20130622-townsend-40-years-after-memorable-debut-ex-ranger-david-clyde-recalls-a-career-cut-short.ece.