*Catcher Bengie Molina hit for the cycle (including a grand slam) in a Rangers 8-4 win over the Red Sox at Fenway Park on July 16^th.   He became only the eighth player in MLB history to hit a grand slam during a cycle.  Also, Molina is only the fifth player in Rangers history to accomplish the feat (the others are Oddible McDowell, Mark Teixiera, Gary Matthews Jr, and Ian Kinsler.  Molina also became the first major league catcher to hit for the cycle since Chad Moeller of the Brewers did so versus the Reds on April 27, 2004.

*Rangers left fielder Josh Hamilton was named A.L. Player of the Month for June.  He set a team record with 49 hits in a month, and batted a whopping .451 in June with 9 home runs, 31 RBIs and 88 total bases.  His 20 extra base hits were tied for most in the majors.  His on-base percentage in June was .482 and his slugging percentage was .815.

*Six Rangers players were selected to play in the 2010 All-Star Game which set a team record for the most Rangers players representing the team in a single All Star Game.  DH Vladimir Guerrero and OF Josh Hamilton received the most votes from fans at their respective positions, and 2B Ian Kinsler, SS Elvis Andrus, and P Neftali Feliz were named reserves.  The Rangers traded for pitcher Cliff Lee only five days before the All-Star Game.  Lee, who began the 2010 with the Mariners before arriving in Arlington on July 9^th, had already been elected an American League All-Star, thus becoming the 6^th Rangers representative in the 2010 Midsummer Classic.

*More All-Star facts:  SS Elvis Andrus (21 years, 10 months) and P Neftali Feliz (22 years, 2 months) are the 2^nd and 3^rd youngest Rangers All-Stars ever behind Ivan Rodriguez (20 years, 8 months) in 1992.  Andrus is the 5^th Rangers shortstop to earn an All-Star team berth joining Toby Harrah (’75-’76), Bert Campaneris (’77), Alex Rodriguez (’01-’03) and Michael Young (’04-’08).  The Rangers have had at least two All-Star selections in 7 of the past 8 years. 

*On June 24^th, Rangers general manager Jon Daniels dyed his hair with brown highlights after losing a bet with shortstop Elvis Andrus.  Daniels made fun of Andrus’ blonde dye job during a road trip in early June to Milwaukee.  Andrus made a bet with Daniels that if the Rangers won 10 games in a row, Daniels would dye his hair.  On June 23^rd, the Rangers winning streak hit double-digits and Daniels had to head to the hair stylist.

*Pitcher Colby Lewis had a two-RBI hit down the left field line during an interleague game at Milwaukee on Sunday, June 13^th.  It was the first RBI by a Rangers pitcher in 5 years.  The last was Ricardo Rodriguez’s RBI at Florida versus the Marlins on June 12, 2005.  Lewis’ hit and RBIs were the first of his major league career.  Lewis did hit 5 home runs as a member of the Hiroshima Carp while playing the previous two seasons in Japan.

*The Rangers lost in Toronto on May 14^th by a score of 16-10, but the high scoring game marked only the second time in the last 67 years that two MLB teams have combined to score 25 runs in less than 4 innings.  At the end of the 4^th inning, the Rangers & Blue Jays had already scored 25 runs (15-10 Jays).  The only other two teams to combine for more than 25 runs were the Cubs and Phillies who scored 26 times in 4 innings in a game at Wrigley Field that finished 23-22.

*In an April game against the Mariners, outfielder David Murphy reached base twice on catcher’s interference calls. It’s the first time a team has been awarded first base twice in a game for catcher’s interference since April of 1986, a span of 24 years!

*The average salary of MLB players on Opening Day 2010 was $3.3 million, an increase of 1.8% from the previous season.  The increase was the lowest since a 2.7% drop in 2004.

*The Rangers payroll on opening day 2010 was $55 million, the 27^th highest total in MLB.  The Yankees are the top spending team at $206 million followed by the Red Sox ($163 million) and Cubs ($147 million).  The Yankees payroll is more than 6x the lowest spenders, the Pirates at $35.  The Padres are the second-lowest ($38 million) and A’s the third lowest ($52 million).  Figures were rounded to the nearest million.

*Forbes Magazine ranked the Texas Rangers as the 12^th most valuable franchise in Major League Baseball at $451 million.  That’s an 11% increase from the 2009 season.  The Yankees at #1 are valued at $1.6 billion, head and shoulders above all other teams including the #2 Red Sox at $870 million.  The lowest valued team is the Pirates at $289 million.

*The rookie minimum in Major League Baseball is approximately $400,000.00.

*An opening day crowd of 50,299 fans at Rangers Ballpark saw a dramatic come-from-behind 9^th inning rally as the Rangers defeated the Blue Jays 5-4 on catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia’s game-winning RBI.  The crowd was the 6^th largest regular season crowd in team history.

*The ceremonial first pitch on Opening Day 2010 at Rangers Ballpark was thrown by Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach.  The baseball thrown by Staubach was delivered via parachute during pregame ceremonies.  Army Sgt. 1^st Class Dana Bowman, a double-amputee who lost both legs during a training accident in 1994, parachuted onto the field and handed the ball to Staubach.

*On June 10, 2009 the Rangers drafted Ruben Sierra Jr., an 18 year old center fielder from Puerto Rico.  Sierra is the son of the former Ranger All-Star. 

*Ian Kinsler’s bat which he used to hit for the cycle last season against the Orioles will be on display at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.  Kinsler’s record setting night included 6 hits and he became the first player since 1890 to go 6-for-6 and hit for the cycle in a 9-inning game.  The Hall of Fame requested Kinsler’s jersey from that night, but Kinsler decided to keep the jersey for himself and sent the baseball bat to Cooperstown.

*On April 16^th, every major league player wore uniform #42 as part of the 63rd anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking major league baseball’s color barrier. 

*The same owner who moved basketball’s Lakers from Minneapolis to Los Angeles is the same man who moved the Washington Senators to Arlington where the team would become known as the Texas Rangers.  Bob Short moved the team to Arlington after the 1971 season.

*Former Rangers pitching coach Dick Bosman holds an unusual distinction in team history.  He was the starting pitcher for the Washington Senators’ final game on Sept 30, 1971 before the team moved to Arlington and became the Rangers.  He also was the starting pitcher for the first Rangers game on April 15, 1972.

(PLAYER FUN FACTS)

*Relief pitcher Darren O’Day worked a perfect 11^th inning against the Red Sox on August 13^th.  It extended his new team record of 29 consecutive scoreless appearances.  That’s the longest active streak in the major leagues in 2010.

*With a win over the Pirates on June 24^th, Rangers rookie pitcher Alexi Ogando became the third major league pitcher since 1900 to earn wins in relief in each of his first three career appearances, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.l 

*One week after breaking Pudge Rodriguez’s all-time hits record, Michael Young broke Ruben Sierra’s record for most triples by a Rangers batter.  Young hit a triple in the Rangers’ 6-5 win over the Pirates on Thursday, June 24^th.  It’s his 45^th career triple.

*Pitcher Colby Lewis struck out 10 Brewers in his June 13^th win at Milwaukee.  It was the 4^th time in 2010 he’s struck out 10 or more batters in the a single game.  He is the first Rangers pitcher since Nolan Ryan in 1991 to record double-digit strikeouts in 4-or-more-games.

*Vladimir Guerrero hit a home run on May 17^th against his former team, the Angels.  It was his first homer against the Angels.  It also made him one of 32 players in MLB history with home runs against all 30 MLB team. Eleven of those 32 players are active, the rest are retired.

*CJ Wilson’s 5 quality starts to begin the 2010 season is the longest streak for Rangers starting pitchers since Kevin Brown in 1993.

*Pitcher Scott Feldman signed a contract extension three days before the 2010 season opener which guarantees him $13.925 million through 2012 with a club option in 2013 for $9.25 million.

*Vladimir Guerrero, the hottest hitter in the American League during opening week of 2010, became the first hitter to start his Rangers career with four multi-hit games. 

*First baseman Justin Smoak, who made his Major League Debut on April 23^rd after being called up from Triple A Oklahoma City, became the first players in Rangers history to walk in each of his first three career games.

*Smoak’s first major league home run went into the upper home run porch at Rangers Ballpark on April 29^th versus the White Sox.  The blast measured 405 feet.

*Pitcher Colby Lewis, is his first MLB regular season start since playing in Japan the past two seasons for the Hiroshim Carp, won his Rangers 2010 debut by giving up only 1 run to the Mariners in 7 innings during a Rangers 6-2 victory at Rangers Ballpark.  It was Lewis’ first big league win since 2004.

*Shortstop Elvis Andrus, a native of Maracay, Venezuela, learned English as a teenager by listening to Rascal Flatts songs and reading the song lyrics on Google.

*Pitcher C.J. Wilson’s Guitar Hero Metallica Madness charitable event raised $12,000 last year, a new record for the event.  Proceeds go to his children’s charities as well as the Texas Hemophilia Camp. 

*Ian Kinsler became the 4^th Ranger in club history to hit for the cycle (HR, triple, double, single in the same game) on April 15, 2009at Rangers Ballpark versus the Orioles.  For the game, he totaled 6 hits (including 1 HR, 1 triple, 2 doubles and 2 singles.  Only one other Ranger has totaled 6 hits in one game (Alfonso Soriano in a 10-inning game in ’04).  Kinsler also scored 5 runs and totaled 13 bases, just one short of the team record set by Jose Canseco in 1994. 

In addition to Kinsler (2009), the other Rangers to hit for the cycle include Oddibe McDowell (1985), Mark Teixeira (2004) and Gary Matthews Jr. (2006).

*Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz represented the Dominican Republic is the 2009 World Baseball Classic.  But he also had previously represented his country on the Dominican national BASKETBALL team.

*All-Star outfielder Josh Hamilton gave up smokeless tobacco at the behest of his 7-year old daughter, Julia, who asked her daddy to give up the habit.

*Taylor Teagarden earned a bronze medal as a member of USA’s baseball team in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

*With an RBI in a game versus the Mariners on September 2, 2008, Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton became the second major league baseball player in the past 55 years to record 120 RBI’s in only his second full major league season.  The only other player to accomplish the feat since 1953 is the Cardinals’ Albert Pujols in 2002.

(TEAM FUN FACTS)

*Through the first 75 games of the 2010 season, the Rangers have scored 40 more runs that at the same time last season.  This year, the Rangers scored 401 runs in the first 75 games, the third highest total in the American League.  In 2009, they scored 361 runs (9^th in A.L.).  Surprisingly, the team has scored more runs though hitting fewer homers.  In 2009, the Rangers hit 110 home runs through the first 75 games.  This year, Rangers hitters totaled 75 homers in the first 75 games. 

*Tom Grieve has been selected as the 13^th member of the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame.  His induction takes place in a pregame ceremony July 24^th.  Grieve has spent 42 of his 43 seasons in major league baseball as a Ranger.  He started his playing career with the Washington Senators, coming to Texas when the team moved to Arlington in 1971.  He joined the front office in 1980 after his playing career ended in 1979. He served 10 seasons as Rangers general manager, then moved to the broadcast booth where he has served as a game analyst for the past 16 seasons.

*The Rangers set a new team record with 9 stolen bases in a game.  On the road at Fenway Park in Boston, the Rangers’ 9 steals came in the first five inning of the game, including 4 steals in the 4^th inning.  Fleet-footed shortstop Elvis Andrus stole 3 of the 9 bases and Nelson Cruz also added 3 steals.  Vladimir Guerrero stole two and Julio Borgon added 1.

*Along with all other Major League teams, the Rangers will wear white ballcaps for Memorial Day, 4^th of July, and September 11^th.  The Rangers’ version of the white caps will have a red bill.  It is the first time in team history that the Rangers will wear a cap that isn’t blue or red.  And because the Rangers don’t have a game scheduled on Memorial Day, they will wear white caps the following night (June 1^st) versus Chicago.

*The Rangers spend anywhere from $60 to $95 per bat, depending on whether the player prefers to hit with a wooden bat made of ash (approx $60) or maple (up to $95).  The Rangers clubhouse manager can order bats from any of a total of 29 accredited manufacturers.  A player may go through two dozen to six dozen bats in just one season (source:  Dallas Morning News, 5/27/09).

(BALLPARK FUN FACTS)

**Josh Hamilton’s 480-foot blast off Astros starter Roy Oswalt in the Rangers’ 10-1 win on June 27^th is the second longest home run in the history of Rangers Ballpark, behind only Jose Canseco’s mammoth 480-foot shot in 1994.

*When the Cubs visited Rangers Ballpark, the 3-game series from May 21-23 drew a crowd of 122,900 fans.  It is the highest 3-game total at Rangers Ballpark since the Yankees visited in July, 2006.

*The Rangers went 48-33 at home during the 2009 season which was a vast improvement over the previous season in which the team was sub-.500 at Rangers Ballpark (40-41 in 2008).

*Grass clippings from the field are used in mulch for the outside landscaping or returned to the field as fertilizer.

*All edible foods left over from prep that are not used for games are sent to Mission Arlington.

*The playing surface consists of Bermuda Tifway 419.  The sod was grown on a farm in nearby Granbury, Texas.  The sod was laid in 4x100 foot strips on the field in October, 1996.  Drainage line are laid every 15 feet over the expanse of the entire field.  The playing surface is then covered by 4-to-5 inches of pea gravel, plus 14-to-15 inches of sand mixture.  The field’s drainage capacity is 9-to-10 inches of water per hour.  The irrigation system allows the entire outfield to be watered from one station at 750 gallons per minute, or 50,000 gallons per hour. 

*The tarp, which is used to protect the field during rain delays, is mounted on a hydraulic lift and stored below ground down the left field line, preventing any sight-line problems.  Thanks to the below ground storage, there are no obstructed views for fans seated down the left field line.

*Each season the wives of Rangers and Astros players take part in the annual “Diamond Boot” softball game.

*The Rangers helped the Miracle League build a new Texas Rangers Miracle League Field in Arlington which provides opportunities for all children to play baseball regardless of their abilities.  The stadium includes wheelchair accessible dugouts and a completely flat playing surface which eliminates barriers for wheelchair-bound players.  The custom-designed synthetic turf is cushioned to help prevent injuries.  The Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation helps fund the maintenance and upkeep of the field.