Billy Martin, the popular manager of the Rangers, is fired in the middle of the season after a fall out with management. While Fergie led the charge on the mound Rookie of the Year Mike Hargrove, and MVP Jeff Burroughs spurred on the offense.ġ975: The Rangers fall back to earth and finish in third place with a disappointing 79-83 record. One key to the turn around was the acquisition of Ferguson Jenkins from the Chicago Cubs, in his first season in Texas Fergie wins 25 games tying Catfish Hunter for the most in the American League. Leading the charge is fiery manager Billy Martin, who takes a team that lost 105 games the year before and transformed them into an 84-76 contender that finishes just five games behind the three-time World Champion Athletics. During the same stretch, Jim Bibby pitches the first no-hitter in franchise history by blanking the eventual World Champion Oakland A’s 6-0.ġ974: In the season where baseball finally caught on in the Dallas Metro-area, the Rangers are the surprise of the American League all year, and challenge the Oakland A’s for the American League Western Division title. The other highlights of the season came when Jeff Burroughs hits three grand slams in ten days at the end of July. However, the move would not work out in the end as Clyde’s career would only last five years in which he only won 18 games. In Clyde’s debut, he strikes out the side in the first inning after walking the first two batters. When the Rangers drafted Houston High Schooler David Clyde with the first overall pick, they decide to start him in the majors right away, and he makes his debut on June 27th just 22 days after being drafted. The Rangers would not win much that first year, finishing last with a woeful 54-100 record.ġ973: During an awful 56-105 season, it is clear the team has to do something to draw fans’ attention. The Rangers got off to a fast start as Frank Howard homered in the first inning, and would go on to win the game 7-6.
Five days later, on April 21st against the same Angels, the Rangers made their Texas debut in front of 20,105 at Arlington Stadium. The Rangers would bounce back to win the next game. The strike would relatively quickly, and the Rangers finally played their first game in Anaheim on April 15th and lost 1-0 pitcher’s duel to the Angles. Fans waiting to see the Rangers’ first game on April 6th were disappointed as a Player’s Strike delayed the start of the season. The Rangers would be playing in a converted minor league stadium in Arlington, Texas, a suburb of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Area. 1972: After getting approval to move to Texas, the Senators change their nickname to the Rangers in honor of the famous Law Enforcement Agency.