The Texas Rangers retired number 26 in honor of late manager Johnny Oates in front of 34,632 fans on August 6, 2005. O'Neill told the crowd that day would be "the last time the old number rolls off the back of a uniform." O'Neill said he hoped to carry on the tradition of the club wearing out its numbers.
Number 26 was worn by Johnny O'Neill from 1920 to 1923 and by Bill Carrigan from 1924 to 1952. The number was not issued after Carrigan died in a car crash in October of 1952. In 1993, the Rangers wore uniforms with number 26 patches on the left chest while the real numbers were reserved for players on other teams. These jerseys were used in three games at home against the Oakland Athletics during the first week of March 1993. After the season, the numbers were never returned to the active roster and have remained out of circulation since then.
In 1995, the Rangers again wore number 26 as part of a four-number series on their way to winning their first World Series title in 70 years. That same year, the team also retired number 10 in memory of Tom Gentry, who had managed the club from 1990 to 1994. Both numbers have been worn only once since their retirements.
Only 26 and 34 have been retired as of yet. After leading the Rangers to their first three playoff appearances in seven years, manager Johnny Oates had his number retired. O'Neall was a part-time player for most of his career with the Rangers, but he became a full-time starter in 1978 when Mike Hargrove was injured. He played all over the field while with the Rangers, but he was best known for his work at second base where he spent most of his time with the team. He finished his career with a.275 average, two home runs, and 85 RBI's in 10 seasons with the Rangers.
Number 26 has been retired throughout all of baseball. It is the number that O'Neall wore during his entire career with the Rangers. Number 34 was retired in honor of original Ranger Hank Aaron, who had his number retired by both the Braves and Brewers earlier this year.
A few other former Rangers have their numbers available for use by others. First baseman Frank Bertaina has his number 6 used by its owner, the Rangers. Pitchers Jim Sundberg and Dave Stieb have been granted the right to wear numbers 40 and 42, respectively. Sundberg had a good season for the Rangers in 1973, going 11-8 with a 3.86 ERA in 32 games (one start).
On Saturday evening, the Rangers welcomed back Beltre, who retired after last season, for a ceremony to designate his No. 29 the club's fourth retired shirt. He joins Nolan Ryan (34), Johnny Oates (26), and Ivan Rodriguez in the lineup (7).
Beltre played all but three games over the past two seasons while battling a chronic ankle condition that required surgery last year. He hit.276 with 26 homers and 89 RBIs in 115 games for the Rangers last season.
The 36-year-old Beltre announced his retirement following the 2017 season, but he changed his mind after discussing it with family members and team executives. "I know myself well enough to know when I need to take some time off to think about my future," Beltre said at the time of his retirement announcement. "This is not something that I did quickly or without thinking about it first. It's just what I needed right now."
Beltre was one of the most popular players in Ranger history, and his retirement left a big hole in the batting order. But manager Chris Woodward said before the season started that whoever replaces Beltre in the lineup will have an opportunity to win a spot on the team.
Left fielder Mitch Moreland and first baseman Joey Gallo are expected to be the main candidates to replace Beltre in the lineup.
The Texas Rangers (60 years) The team's eight playoff seasons were highlighted by back-to-back World Series appearances under manager Ron Washington in 2010 and 2011. The Rangers, though, fell short both times. In 2010, they were defeated in five games by the San Francisco Giants. Three years later, they again faced the Giants in the World Series, this time losing again in seven games.
A's fans may want to note that the Bay Area has now hosted three consecutive World Series victories by different teams. The last time the Bay Area saw four straight World Series games go into extra innings was 1998-2001 during the Yankees' dynasty era.
Rangers fans should feel proud of their team for making it to the World Series twice in three years. However, both times they lost to the Giants. San Francisco is now 3-0 against Texas this year with all the wins coming by one run or less.
In addition, the Rangers have never won a best-of-seven series after winning the first game. They lost the next two games to the Rays in 2012 and then again in 2013 when they went up 3-1.
Overall, the Rangers are 16-17 in World Series games played. They've won just one game when leading after six innings.
Bay Area fans should be happy that yet another big league team has reached the World Series.
Michael Young leads the Rangers in games (1,823), at bats (7,399), runs (1,085), hits (2,230), doubles (415), and triples (415). (55). Since 1972, the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball have played in Arlington, Texas. The team is owned by Jim Crane through 2023. Jack Quinn was the team's president from 1992 to 2001; he was replaced by Nolan Ryan in 2002. Ryan retired after the 2011 season and was succeeded by Chris Gimenez on an interim basis before he was named president in May 2012.
In addition to his work with the Rangers, Michael Young also plays first base for the San Francisco Giants. He has won two World Series rings with the Giants and one ring with the Rangers. Young is a three-time All-Star player and won the Golden Spikes Award in 2008 while playing for the Giants.
Young was drafted by the Rangers out of the University of California, Berkeley in 1993. He spent most of his first four seasons playing for their top minor league affiliate in Oklahoma City before making the major league club as a reserve outfielder in 1997. In 1998, Young led the league in hits (257) and was second in batting average to Eric Davis of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He repeated as the MVP of the league that year.
Since then, Young has been one of the best hitters in baseball throughout the 2000s and 2010s.
Adrian Beltre became the fourth Ranger to have his jersey number retired by Texas on June 8, 2019, during a ceremony before to the club's game against the Oakland Athletics. Beltre, who spent 22 seasons with the Rangers, is considered one of the best third basemen in MLB history. He currently plays third base for the Boston Red Sox.
Beltre made his debut with the Rangers on April 17, 1994, and played his last game on September 30, 2015. Over the course of his career, he finished first or second in MVP voting three times (1999, 2003, 2014). He won two Silver Slugger Awards and four All-Star Games. Beltre has hit over.300 six times and has more than 100 RBI five times. He has scored over 100 runs twice.
Beltre entered the league as a shortstop but was converted into a third baseman after spending his first season learning the position. He was immediately effective at the hot corner, hitting.333 with 15 homers and 87 RBI in 1995. The following year, he improved to.443 with 20 homers and 102 RBI and was named the AL's Most Valuable Player.
Beltre continued to be one of the best hitters in baseball throughout the 1990s and early 2000s.
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