 |
| 2010 Texas Rangers | ||
|---|---|---|
| American League Champions American League West Champions | ||
 2010 Western Division Champions banner | ||
| League | American League | |
| Division | West | |
| Ballpark | Rangers Ballpark in Arlington | |
| City | Arlington, Texas | |
| Record | 90–72 (.556) | |
| Divisional place | 1st | |
| Owners | Hicks Sports Group (Tom Hicks) transferred to Rangers Baseball Express (Chuck Greenberg, Nolan Ryan, Ray Davis and Bob R. Simpson) | |
| General managers | Jon Daniels | |
| Managers | Ron Washington | |
| Television | Fox Sports Southwest KTXA (Josh Lewin, Tom Grieve) | |
| Radio | KRLD 105.3 FM (Weekdays) KRLD 1080 AM (Weekends) (Eric Nadel, Dave Barnett) KFLC 1270 AM (Spanish) (Eleno Ornelas, Jerry Romo) | |
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The Texas Rangers' 2010 season was the 50th in franchise history. The team, managed by Ron Washington, won their first American League West title since 1999 and finally won a playoff series, taking longer than any other North American professional sports franchise to accomplish the feat and making them the last of the 30 MLB clubs to advance past the division series. The club subsequently reached the World Series for the first time in only their fourth playoff appearance. Washington would become only the second manager in franchise history to lead the Rangers to the post season and the first to ever win a post season series. They would win the American League pennant by defeating the defending World Series champions, the New York Yankees, in six games in the ALCS. In the World Series, they lost to the San Francisco Giants in five games.
The 2010 season showed the results of a 5-year plan[1] implemented by GM Jon Daniels in 2007 with the Mark Teixeira trade. The 2007 trade deadline and the amateur draft a month prior would all be key pieces of the successful Rangers season. Dominant rookie of the year closer Neftalí Feliz, defensive All-Star Elvis Andrus, and platoon outfielder David Murphy were all acquired at the trade deadline, while starting pitcher Tommy Hunter, centerfielder Julio Borbon and first baseman Mitch Moreland were each selected in the June 2007 draft. And trades which resulted in Cliff Lee, Bengie Molina, and Jorge Cantú were each completed with a member of the Rangers 2007 draft class being sent in return.
Mirroring the 2009 revelation of Josh Hamilton getting drunk at a bar in Arizona prior to spring training, the Rangers' team members learned that manager Ron Washington failed an MLB drug test prior to the All-Star game in 2009. Instead of dividing the locker room or casting doubt with the players, the teammates stood behind their manager. "I've got Wash's back. He's my manager", third baseman Michael Young told teammates during a meeting where Washington informed the players of his failed drug test.[2]
The pitching staff, looking to be a strength for one of the first times in recent history, would depend on the #3 and 4 starters, C. J. Wilson and Colby Lewis, due to a lack of expected production from Scott Feldman and free agent Rich Harden. Wilson, Lewis, and trade deadline ace Cliff Lee would each finish in the top 20 among American League pitchers in ERA, innings pitched, strikeouts, and WHIP.
A complicated team sale that would end up in bankruptcy court and possibly cost the team president Nolan Ryan and GM Jon Daniels would be an outside threat the team would have to ignore until it was resolved in August.
Thanks to utility infielder Esteban Germán the "claw and antlers" would become an active part of the Rangers in-game celebration. Following a play involving strength a Rangers' player would look to the bench and raise his right arm with fingers outstretched to make a claw. After a play involving speed a player would place his thumbs on each side of his head and outstretch his fingers to make antlers. The fans would embrace the "claws and antlers" and a "claw and antlers" T-shirt, designed by Rangers equipment manager Richard "Hoggy" Price, which would be the top selling MLB T-shirt sold in 2010, selling over 360,000, even though the design was not introduced until after the All-Star game.[3] On the final day of the season fans would participate in a pre-game "claw and antlers" parade.
- ^ Newberg, Jamey (June 12, 2009). "The five-step plan". The Newberg Report. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
- ^ Taylor, Jean-Jacques (October 5, 2010). "Taylor: Credit Ron Washington, players for sticking together during crisis". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on October 5, 2010. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
- ^ Shlachter, Barry (November 5, 2010). "At 360,000 sold, Rangers' claw/antlers shirt is tops in league". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved November 7, 2010.