Arlington Stadium
) (1972–1993) |
Arlington Stadium was a baseball stadium located in Arlington, Texas, United States, located between Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. It served as the home for the Texas Rangers (MLB) from 1972 until 1993, after which the team moved into The Ballpark in Arlington (now Choctaw Stadium).
History
Early years as a minor league stadium
The stadium was built in 1965 as Turnpike Stadium, a
However, the stadium's real purpose was to attract a major league team to the
1970s–1980s
This section needs additional citations for verification. (March 2024) |
In 1971, the struggling second incarnation of the
Arlington Stadium had no roof, and thus virtually no protection from the oppressive Texas heat. For nearly all of its existence, it was the hottest stadium in the majors. It was not unusual for game-time temperatures to be well above 100 °F (38 °C). Combined with the Rangers' mediocre performance, this held down attendance considerably during the 1970s. Due in part to the heat, the Rangers scheduled nearly all of their games from May through September at night to get around it. Other than nearby amusement park Six Flags Over Texas, there was no neighborhood around the park. In his book Storied Stadiums, Curt Smith described it as "small, (but) not intimate".
The scoreboard in the Rangers' early days was a long, horizontal
1990s
The stadium eventually began to show its age and inadequacy, and the City of Arlington approved the construction of a new stadium for the Rangers. The last game was played in Arlington Stadium on October 3, 1993, resulting in a 4–1 win by the visiting Kansas City Royals, witnessed by 41,039 fans (it was also the final game in the career of Hall-of-Famer George Brett, who recorded the last hit in the stadium with a ninth-inning single).[7] Following the 1993 season, the Rangers moved to The Ballpark in Arlington, which was built nearby, and Arlington Stadium was demolished in 1994. The foul poles and home plate from Arlington Stadium were moved to the new ballpark, along with some of the bleachers. The bleachers were painted green, but their original blue color is occasionally visible in spots where the green paint has chipped. Home plate was inserted into place at the Ballpark in Arlington by Tom Schieffer (Texas Rangers then president), Richard Greene (then mayor of Arlington), Tom Vandergriff (former mayor responsible for bringing the team to Arlington), and George W. Bush (then team part-owner; later Governor of Texas and President of the United States).
The site of the old stadium is just west of the Arlington Convention Center and north of the youth ballpark. It was partially paved in 2001 to provide parking for the Convention Center, and Legends Way was built through the center of the site in 2007 to provide an access road to the new
Prior to the 2016 season, the original foul poles from Arlington Stadium were replaced at then-Globe Life Park in Arlington.
As of 2022, part of the site has been redeveloped as part of the National Medal of Honor Museum.
Notable moments
Arlington Stadium never saw a playoff game or an
A memorable brawl happened on August 4, 1993, when the Rangers hosted the Chicago White Sox. Ryan, the starter for that game, hit Robin Ventura with a pitch. Ventura decided to charge the mound, which emptied both benches. As Ventura reached the mound, Ryan immediately caught him in a head lock and punched him on the top of his head six times.[11]
References
- ^ "Plans OK'd for Stadium at Arlington" (Archive). The Dallas Morning News. September 4, 1964. p. 18.
- ^ "Firm Awarded Pact on Stadium at Arlington". The Dallas Morning News. September 24, 1964.
- The Nevada Daily Mail. Associated Press. January 28, 1964. p. 4. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
One of the first efforts of the new owners probably will be to undertake the construction of some sort of stadium midway between Dallas and Fort Worth, the Dallas News said.
- ^ "April 21, 1972: Rangers fans celebrate arrival of major-league baseball in North Texas – Society for American Baseball Research".
- ^ "Arlington Stadium". Clem's Baseball.
- ^ "Arlington Stadium". Ballparks.com. Munsey & Suppes.
- ^ "Seamheads.com Ballparks Database". www.seamheads.com. Retrieved 2023-03-24.
- ^ "Box Score of Game played on Tuesday, August 22, 1989 at Arlington Stadium". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved March 25, 2009.
- ^ "Nolan Ryan No-Hitter #7". Baseball Almanac. May 1, 1991. Archived from the original on May 2, 2009. Retrieved March 25, 2009.
- ^ "Box Score of Game played on Saturday, September 30, 1984 at Arlington Stadium". Baseball Almanac. Archived from the original on February 13, 2009. Retrieved March 25, 2009.
- ^ Neumann, Thomas (August 4, 2015). "Happy anniversary: Nolan Ryan, Robin Ventura". ESPN. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
External links
- Ballparks.com: Arlington Stadium
- Ballparks of Baseball: Arlington Stadium
- Ballpark Reviews: Arlington Stadium
- Ballpark Tour: Arlington Stadium