Choctaw Stadium
Template:Infobox Baseball Stadium
Rangers Ballpark in Arlington is a baseball stadium in Arlington, Texas, located between Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. It was known until May 7, 2004, as The Ballpark in Arlington when Ameriquest bought the naming rights to the stadium, and to this day many fans still refer to it simply as "The Ballpark". It was constructed as a replacement for nearby Arlington Stadium. In March, 2007, the Texas Rangers severed their relationship with Ameriquest and announced that the stadium would be named Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.
The stadium is home to the American League's Texas Rangers, and the Legends of the Game Baseball Museum.
History
Funding was approved for a new home for the Texas Rangers in 1991 by the City of Arlington. Construction began on April 2, 1992 a short distance away from Arlington Stadium, the ballpark it would replace, and the new Ballpark in Arlington was opened on April 1, 1994 in an exhibition contest between the Texas Rangers and the New York Mets. The first official game was on April 11 against the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Rangers chose to build a retro-style ballpark along the lines of Oriole Park at Camden Yards and Jacobs Field. However, as the ballpark was built on one of the old Arlington Stadium parking lots, the irregular dimensions of the outfield were planned independently, rather than being forced by neighboring structures.
This stadium was the site of the 1995 MLB All-Star Game. It also hosted the first regular season interleague game on June 12, 1997, when the Rangers played the San Francisco Giants.
On May 7, 2004, Rangers owner Tom Hicks announced that he had negotiated a sale of the naming rights of the stadium to home mortgage company Ameriquest. The contract was worth $75 million over 30 years. As part of this contract, Ameriquest placed a large bell (in the shape of Ameriquest's corporate logo) in the ballpark, which rings for home runs and starts of games. This bell replaced what used to be Section 201, thereby reducing seating capacity slightly.
On March 19, 2007, the Fort Worth Star Telegram reported that Ameriquest has returned the naming rights to the team and that the stadium will be renamed the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, effective immediately [1].
On July 28, 2006, the Rangers played their 1,000th game in the facility. Despite being hailed as a wonderful venue, articles in the Dallas Morning News began to suggest that the ballpark would have been better served by having a dome or retractable roof - much like Minute Maid Park, the home of the Houston Astros - due to the Texas heat.
The home plate, foul poles, and bleachers were originally at the old Arlington Stadium.
The field is one of the notoriously hitter-friendly parks in baseball due to the high temperatures and low humidity, relatively short fences, and the design of the stadium which has allowed the wind to swirl and lift balls that wouldn't normally make it out to do so. With a combination of these factors and the naturally good hitters who've played for the Rangers, the team has put up some rather high home run totals. In 1996, the Rangers hit 221 homers. They eclipsed 200 again in 1998 (201), 1999 (230), 2001 (241), 2002 (230), 2003 (239), 2004 (227), and 2005 (260, four short of the all-time record of 264 by the 1997 Seattle Mariners). Unfortunately, Rangers' pitching (a traditional franchise weakness) has also suffered from the design of the park.
Many great sluggers such as Juan González, Ivan Rodriguez, Rafael Palmeiro, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, and Alfonso Soriano have taken advantage of the stadium.
Rangers Home Runs by Year
| Year | HR | AL Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 124 | 6th |
| 1995 | 138 | 10th |
| 1996 | 221 | 4th |
| 1997 | 187 | 5th |
| 1998 | 201 | 6th |
| 1999 | 230 | 3rd |
| 2000 | 173 | 10th |
| 2001 | 246 | 1st |
| 2002 | 230 | 1st |
| 2003 | 239 | 1st |
| 2004 | 227 | 3rd |
| 2005 | 260 | 1st |
| 2006 | 183 | 8th |
