Texas Rangers to Commemorate 1980's during Weekend Series with Washington Nationals
As part of the Texas Rangers season-long celebration of the team’s 50 years in the Lone Star State, players and events from the 1980’s will be the focus during this weekend’s series with the Washington Nationals at Globe Life Field.
The Rangers and Nationals, who will play in Arlington for the first time since 2005, meet on Friday, June 24 at 7:05 p.m., Saturday, June 25 at 3:05 p.m., and Sunday, June 26 at 1:35 p.m.
The Nationals moved to Washington, D.C. from Montreal in 2005, becoming the first Major League team to call the Nation’s Capital home since 1971, the final season that the expansion Washington Senators played there before moving to Arlington, Texas.
Among the players scheduled to participate in the June 24-25 weekend are Rangers Hall of Famers Charlie Hough, Jeff Russell, and Ruben Sierra as well as Oddibe McDowell, Pete O’Brien, and Larry Parrish.
Hough, a member of the inaugural 2003 class of the Texas Rangers Baseball Hall of Fame, and Sierra, a 2009 inductee, will receive their Rangers Hall of Fame jackets in a pre-game ceremony on Friday night. Hough, who posted 127 wins for Texas in the 1980’s, will also throw out a ceremonial first pitch prior to that game.
The New Era Alumni Autograph Alley on the Globe Life Field main concourse will feature McDowell, O’Brien, and Sierra on Friday, June 24 from 5:15-6:15 and Hough, Parrish, and Curtis Wilkerson on Saturday, June 25 from 1:15-2:15.
Other former Rangers from the 1980’s planning to be in attendance on Friday night are Danny Darwin, Cecil Espy, Dave Hostetler, Ferguson Jenkins, Lamar Johnson, Bob Malloy, Jackie Moore, Leon Roberts, Ellis Valentine, Danny Wheat, Bump Wills, and Bill Zeigler.
Other 50th anniversary initiatives for this weekend:
--Retro Uniforms: For Saturday’s game, the Rangers will wear the home white style uniforms that debuted in 1972 and with minor modifications, were essentially utilized through the 1982 season. The original Rangers blue cap with a red bill and batting helmet with a similar design were worn until 1986.
The Rangers are also scheduled to wear the retro uniforms on August 13 vs. Seattle, September 25 vs. Cleveland, and October 5 vs. the New York Yankees.
--50th Anniversary Promotional Giveaways: On Saturday, the first 15,000 fans in the ballpark will receive a 50th Anniversary Nolan Ryan Bobblehead, presented by Globe Life. The bobblehead is designed to reflect the “old-time look” of bobbleheads in the 1970s. Included in the giveaway will be 100 entirely gold-painted bobbleheads and 500 partially gold-painted bobbleheads providing a few lucky fans with a limited-edition memento from the Rangers’ golden 50th anniversary season.
On Sunday, June 26, the first 15,000 fans entering Globe Life Field get a Plush Blue Dot, presented by Golden Chick. Fans can collect all three plush dots this season with the green dot giveaway on July 17 and the red dot giveaway scheduled for August 28.
The 50th Anniversary Trucker Cap giveaway scheduled for Friday, June 24, has been moved to Sunday, August 14, due to shipping delays. For more information, fans can call the Globe Life Field box office at 972-RANGERS.
--Commemorative Poster Series: The Rangers have collaborated with local artists to create a series of five limited edition 50th anniversary commemorative posters. The third poster in the series (SEE ATTACHED), which has been created by Brad Albright, is a 3-D poster which comes with 3D glasses and depicts a Rangers 50th Anniversary pinball machine. It will be available for sale at the Rangers-Nationals game on Saturday, June 25. Only 250 of the posters have been produced and will be sold for $25.00 each at the Rangers Authentics kiosk at Globe Life Field with the proceeds benefitting the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation. Additional posters will be released throughout the 2022 season.
The Rangers have a dedicated web page that includes original content and information on the team’s 50th anniversary activities. Fans can find this content at texasrangers.com/50.
Tickets for all 2022 Texas Rangers home games can also be purchased at texasrangers.com, by phone at 972RANGERS, and at the Southeast Box Office at Globe Life Field, which is located off Stadium Drive on the east side of the park.
RANGERS TEAM LEADERS IN THE 1980’S (1980-89)
• Batting Average (Min. 3000 PA): Buddy Bell, .291
• Games: Pete O’Brien, 946
• Runs: Pete O’Brien & Larry Parrish, 419 each
• Hits: Pete O’Brien, 914
• Doubles: Pete O’Brien, 161
• Triples: Ruben Sierra, 30
• Home Runs: Larry Parrish, 149
• RBI: Larry Parrish, 522
• Stolen Bases: Oddibe McDowell, 115
• Pitching Wins: Charlie Hough, 127
• ERA (Min. 1000.0 IP): Charlie Hough, 3.64
• Games: Charlie Hough, 312
• Games Started: Charlie Hough, 281
• Complete Games: Charlie Hough, 93
• Saves: Jeff Russell, 43
• Innings: Charlie Hough, 2089.1
• Strikeouts: Charlie Hough, 1338
Texas Rangers, Globe Life Field, Entertainment District
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