10 most comical moments in Rangers history
1. Jose Canseco’s off-the-head home run
May 26, 1993
This one went down in history. Carlos Martinez, batting for the Indians, hit a fly ball to deep right and Rangers right fielder Jose Canseco tracked it to the wall. The ball landed squarely on his head and bounced over the wall for a homer, and the Rangers went on to lose, 7-6, at the old Municipal Stadium in Cleveland.
“I’ll be on ESPN for a month,” Canseco said.
Actually, 26 years later, the clip is still being shown through different venues.
2. Beltre yanks the on-deck circle
July 26, 2017
The Rangers lost to the Marlins, 22-10, but everybody will remember Adrian Beltre being ejected by home-plate umpire Gerry Davis. Why? Because he moved the on-deck circle, which was a portable mat. Beltre was standing nearer to home plate than normally allowed. Davis ordered him to get back on the on-deck circle. Beltre responded by pulling the on-deck circle to where he was standing and got ejected.
"Why'd he need to throw me out?" Beltre said."I was not trying to be funny. He told me to stand on the mat, so I pulled the mat to where I was. I did what he told me."
3. Incaviglia’s hole-in-one
Spring Training 1986
Pete Incaviglia, acquired from the Expos in the offseason, was taking batting practice early in Spring Training at the old Municipal Field in Pompano Beach, Fla. He swung and hit a line drive to left field that crashed through the wooden outfield fence.
“That’s one-inch plywood,” then-Rangers manager Bobby Valentine said. “Awesome.”
"If anybody has seen me hit batting practice this spring, they know why I'm here,” Incaviglia said.
Actually, the wood was rotting at a ballpark that was in its last Spring Training before the club relocated. But Rangers public relations director John Blake milked it for all it was worth, giving tours to the media throughout camp.
4. Hello, Howard
June 6, 1977
The first time the Rangers played on Monday Night Baseball at Arlington Stadium, they faced the Yankees, and batboy Rich Thompson began making disparaging remarks about Howard Cosell into the field microphone. His insults could be heard by the over-the-air audience. Thompson was suspended and apologized.
“I didn’t know the microphone was on,” Thompson said. “I don’t have anything against Howard Cosell. I was just kidding around.”
5. Hulse’s foul balls
Oct. 3, 1992
Rangers outfielder David Hulse hit four consecutive foul balls into the Angels' third-base dugout during the eighth inning in Anaheim, with all four lined toward the far end of the bench. After the third foul ball, the Angels all jammed into the opposite end of the dugout before reliever Joe Grahe finally retired Hulse on a ground out.
6. Kinsler’s heads up
Aug. 20, 2013
The Astros, leading 2-1 in the fifth, had one out and Max Stassi at first when Marwin Gonzalez hit a high chopper up the middle, with Stassi running on the play. The ball ricocheted off pitcher Jason Frasor’s glove and deflected beyond shortstop Elvis Andrus’ reach. Andrus tried to catch it and tag Stassi at the same time, but he missed, though Stassi thought Andrus actually caught the ball and completed the tag. Stassi was wrong. He left the base, but Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler caught the ball backing up the play and tagged out Stassi as he returned to the dugout.
7. Hamilton almost decapitates Beltre
July 4, 2011
Beltre had good reason to be worried about where he stood while on deck. Josh Hamilton was famous for losing the grip on his bat while swinging at a pitch. Some of his flings reached amazing distances in the stands. But on July 4, 2011, Hamilton almost decapitated Beltre, who was in the on-deck circle in the sixth inning against the Orioles. Hamilton let go of his bat and almost nailed Beltre, who went sprawling to the ground to avoid getting clobbered.
8. McRae vs. Kennedy
July 29, 1993
Royals outfielder Brian McRae, on a Thursday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium, was upset that he was hit by a pitch in the eighth inning from reliver Bob Patterson. So, instead of charging the mound, bolted to the Texas dugout and went after manager Kevin Kennedy. Other Rangers intervened.
“I was going after Kennedy,” McRae said. “I just couldn’t get to him.”
The Rangers had won a Tuesday night game, 1-0, when Rafael Palmeiro hit a solo homer to account for the game's lone run. The next day, Palmeiro was hit by a pitch from Rick Reed. The Rangers were still fuming about it on Thursday afternoon, and McRae was hit twice in the game.
9. The Tarp Slide
June 14, 2008
The Rangers' Saturday game with the Mets was rained out, and when the game was finally called, Michael Young, Josh Hamilton, Milton Bradley and Ian Kinsler dashed out onto the field for a head-first tarp slide through the pouring rain.
10. Beltre vs. Félix
Sept. 20, 2017
Beltre was famous for his rivalry with Mariners pitcher Félix Hernández. The best encounter between the two came late in the 2017 season after Beltre had just come off the injured list with a leg injury for the second time that year. In the second inning, Beltre grounded out to Seattle third baseman Kyle Seager, and as Beltre ran back to the bench, Hernández screamed at Beltre to take it easy and slow down. The Rangers got the last laugh. Hernandez was knocked out in the fourth inning and the Rangers went on to an 8-6 win.