Franchise Timeline
1970
October 1970: Frank Howard captures two-thirds of the Triple Crown with 44 homers and 126 RBIs and finishes fifth in the MVP balloting. Expansion begins at Turnpike Stadium to enlarge seating capacity to 20,000.
1971
Sept 20, 1971: Short receives approval from AL owners to move the franchise from Washington, D.C. to Arlington, Texas for the 1972 season.
Sept 30, 1971: The final game for Washington Senators is forfeited to the Yankees when fans stream onto the field with two out in the ninth inning with Senators, leading, 7-5.
October 1971: With the coming of Major League Baseball, Turnpike Stadium is enlarged to a 35,694 seating capacity and renamed Arlington Stadium.
Nov 23, 1971: Short announces the franchise will be called the Texas Rangers.
1972
Apr 6, 1972: The Rangers' inaugural game is postponed by a players' strike.
Apr 15, 1972: The Rangers lose at California, 1-0, in the team's first game. Catcher Hal King singles off Andy Messersmith for the first base hit in Texas history.
Apr 16, 1972: Pete Broberg beats the Angels, 5-1, for the first victory in club history.
Apr 21, 1972: The Rangers beat the Angels, 7-6, before a crowd of 20,105 in first game for the franchise at Arlington Stadium. Frank Howard homers in the first inning for Texas.
July 25, 1972: Toby Harrah becomes the first Ranger selected to the all-star team.
Sept 30, 1972: Ted Williams retires as Rangers manager. Whitey Herzog, Director of Player Development for the New York Mets, is named as Williams' successor.
1973
June 5, 1973: Texas selects lefthanded pitcher David Clyde as the nation's number one draft choice in the June free agent draft.
June 27, 1973: Just 20 days out of Houston's Westchester High School, 18-year-old David Clyde makes his Major League debut against the Minnesota Twins. He walks the first two batters he faces before fanning three straight and he goes on to post a 4-3 victory before a crowd of 35,698.
July 26, 1973: Jeff Burroughs hits the first of three grand slams in 10 days.
July 30, 1973: Jim Bibby throws the first no-hitter in team history by blanking the A's, 6-0. Bibby fans 13 to beat Oakland ace Vida Blue.
Sept 8, 1973: Herzog is replaced by former Detroit skipper Billy Martin as Rangers manager.
Oct 26, 1973: The Rangers acquire righthander Fergie Jenkins from the Chicago Cubs for third baseman Bill Madlock and second baseman Vic Harris.
1974
May 29, 1974: Bradford G. Corbett forms group and purchases franchise from Bob Short. Corbett selects former Yankees infielder Bobby Brown as team president.
Aug 30, 1974: Second baseman Dave Nelson ties a Major League record by stealing second, third and home in the first inning against Cleveland's Dick Bosman.
Oct 2, 1974: Texas finishes with an 84-76 record, in second place, five games behind eventual world champion Oakland. First baseman Mike Hargrove is the league Rookie of the Year, Jeff Burroughs is the AL MVP, Billy Martin is the Manager of the Year, and Ferguson Jenkins is the Comeback Player of the Year, second only to the A's Catfish Hunter in Cy Young voting.
1975
July 21, 1975: Billy Martin is fired as Texas manager after leading the team to a 44-51 record. Third base coach Frank Lucchesi takes over on an interim basis and guides the team to a 35-32 record (79-83 overall).
1976
June 25, 1976: Shortstop Toby Harrah plays a complete doubleheader without handling a chance in the field, a major league record.
December 1976: The Rangers and the City of Arlington agree on a two-year program to renovate and enlarge Arlington Stadium to 42,000.
1977
May 15, 1977: Willie Horton becomes the first Ranger to hit three home runs in one game in a 7-3 victory over Kansas City.
June 22, 1977: After a 31-31 start, Frank Lucchesi is replaced as manager by Eddie Stanky, who guides the club to a 10-8 win over Minnesota but steps down after just one game.
June 23, 1977: Rangers coach Connie Ryan takes over as interim manager.
June 28, 1977: Billy Hunter, in his 14th year as a coach with the Baltimore Orioles, takes over as manager of the Rangers. He would guide the club to a 60-33 (.645) over the remainder of the season.
Aug 8, 1977: Texas turns the first triple play in team history. With runners on first and second, Oakland's Manny Sanguillen grounds to third baseman Toby Harrah, who steps on third and throws to Bump Wills at second for the force. Wills relays to Mike Hargrove at first to complete the triple play.
Aug 27, 1977: On consecutive pitches by New York pitcher Ken Clay, Toby Harrah and Bump Wills hit inside-the-park home runs at Yankee Stadium.
Sept 22, 1977: Bert Blyleven throws the Rangers' second no-hitter by blanking the Angels at Anaheim, 6-0.
1978
Oct 1, 1978: Pat Corrales, a Texas coach since 1975, replaces Billy Hunter as manager before the final game of the season. The Rangers down the Mariners, 9-4, in Corrales' debut.
Dec 3, 1978: Texas trades Toby Harrah to the Indians for all-star third baseman Buddy Bell.