Rangers History Today: Final Game at Arlington Stadium
On this date in franchise history, the first home of the Texas Rangers saw its final regular season game.
On October 3, 1993, the Rangers played their final game at Arlington Stadium, losing to the Kansas City Royals, 4-1, before a crowd of 41,039. The game ended the careers of both Rangers pitcher Nolan Ryan and Royals infielder George Brett, both of whom would be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in the same class in 1999.
The Rangers had hoped that Ryan would be able to pitch in that final homestand. But an elbow injury on a road trip to Seattle in September ended his season and his career, as Ryan had already announced his retirement after the 1993 season.
Brett and Ryan exchanged the lineup cards for that final game, in place the teams’ managers. Brett was the Royals’ designated hitter and went 1-for-4.
The Rangers moved into The Ballpark in Arlington the following season. Arlington Stadium was eventually torn down and became parking for a new stadium. A plaque designating where home plate was at Arlington Stadium is in that parking lot.
The stadium opened as Turnpike Stadium in 1965 and hosted minor league baseball until the Rangers moved from Washington to Arlington for the 1972 season.
Also on this date …
October 3, 1999: Rafael Palmeiro played in the Rangers’ final regular season game, a 1-0 loss to Anaheim. With the game, Palmeiro played his 1,526th game of the 1990s, the most of any Major League player. Also, catcher Iván ‘Pudge’ Rodríguez finished the season with a .332 batting average. In doing so, he became the first Rangers player to have five seasons of .300 batting or better.
October 3, 2004: With the conclusion of the 2004 season, Michael Young finished the season with what was a team record 216 hits.
October 3, 2011: The Rangers win Game 3 of the American League Division Series against Tampa Bay, as Mike Napoli’s two-run home run and Josh Hamilton’s two-run single fueled the 4-3 victory.
October 3, 2012: The Rangers claimed an AL Wild Card berth despite being swept by the Oakland Athletics to end the season.
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