What do you think is the greatest regular season moment in Texas Rangers franchise history? You’ve got the chance to cast your vote with The Dallas Morning News’ bracket of the Rangers’ greatest regular-season moments.
We had our first seeding upset in the quarterfinals, as the No. 5 seed Nolan Ryan’s seventh no-hitter topped the No. 4 seed Josh Hamilton’s four-home run game. Check out the full bracket below to see where things stand heading into the semifinals.
SportsDay Rangers greatest regular season moments in Rangers history bracket entering the semifinals.
SportsDay Staff
Most of the quarterfinals votes were blowouts, except for one. The No. 1 seed Kenny Rogers’ perfect game narrowly escaped No. 8 seed Nolan Ryan fights Robin Ventura, with the No. 1 seed only landing 55.07% of the vote. But our top seed survived and moved on to the semis.
Rangers
Starting on Wednesday, August 6, the quarterfinals voting will open at 6 a.m. and will close on Sunday, August 10 at 11:50 p.m. Each round of voting will go from Wednesday to Sunday until a champion is crowned on Aug. 27. The winners each week will be announced on that week’s episode of the SportsDay Rangers podcast.
By voting, you also are entering yourself into a contest to win incredible Rangers prizes each week! For the semfinals, one voter will win a signed Rangers baseball and one will win a set of signed World Series posters.
Here’s the full voting schedule.
– Round of 16: July 23-July 27
– Quarterfinals: July 30-Aug. 3
– Semifinals: Aug. 6-Aug. 10
– Finals: Aug. 13-Aug.20
– Announcement: Aug. 27
Without further ado, you can cast your vote below! In case you want your memory refreshed or just want a walk down Memory Lane, you can see the eight moments still standing in the bracket below, accompanied with a brief description, links back to The News’ coverage of the moment and a video.
Having trouble accessing the voting window? Tap here to try this link!
No. 1 Kenny Rogers’ perfect game, 1994
Rogers threw the only perfect game in franchise history in 1994, blanking the California Angels in a 98-pitch effort on July 28, 1994. It was the 12th perfect game in baseball’s modern era (since 1900) and is one of just 24 perfect games in baseball history.
“I still can’t believe it,” Rogers told The News that day. “I was just trying to get back in the dugout and give us a chance to hit.”
He struck out eight batters and the perfect game was famously preserved by an outstanding catch by Rusty Greer in the ninth inning. See Greer’s iconic catch and Rogers’ final out below.
No. 2 Rangers clinch first AL West title, 1996
On Sept. 27, 1996, the Rangers clinched their first division title in franchise history in unique, awkward fashion. While the Rangers were in an extra innings affair with the Angels, the Athletics eliminated the Mariners and secured Texas’ first division title.
The twist? Before smartphones, fans and players didn’t know that Seattle had lost until the outfield scoreboard revealed the final score. The crowd erupted, but the players showed no emotion. The Rangers eventually lost 4-3 in 15 innings, and after some handshakes in the dugout, fireworks were set off, the banner was unfurled and the celebration began in Arlington.
No. 3 Nolan Ryan notches 5,000th career strikeout, 1989
On Aug. 22, 1989, Ryan added another item to his ridiculously long list of records, becoming the first pitcher to reach 5,000 career strikeouts.
Ryan sent the old Arlington Stadium into a frenzy when he struck out Oakland’s Rickey Henderson with a 96 mph fastball on a 3-2 pitch to notch his 5,000th career punchout. He finished the outing with 13 strikeouts and to this day is the only member of the 5,000 strikeout club with 5,714 of them to his name.
“I was very nervous,” Ryan told The News after the game. “Coming down here today, I drove by the ballpark and had to turn around and come back.”
No. 5 Nolan Ryan’s seventh no-hitter, 1991
The 44-year-old Ryan threw his seventh and final no-hitter at the old Arlington Stadium on May 1, 1991, extending his record for most no-hitters in a career (no one else has thrown more than four).
He shut down the Blue Jays in a 3-0 win to the tune of 16 strikeouts and two walks. Ryan was so dominant that he only allowed four balls to be hit out of the infield.
“This was the furthest thing from my mind,” Ryan said after the game. “When I woke up, I had more aches and pains. I physically had a bad day. Old age.”
SportsDay Rangers Episode 13: The one with John BurkettRowdy Tellez’s marathon at-bat helps Texas Rangers finally break through vs. Yankees
Find more Rangers coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
Click or tap here to sign up for our Rangers newsletter.