page_title: History of the Texas Rangers (baseball)
section_title: 2004
hierarchical_section_title: History of the Texas Rangers (baseball) / The lean years: 2001–2004 / 2004
caption_attribution_description: English: Michael Young
context_page_description: The Texas Rangers Major League Baseball franchise was established in 1961 as the Washington Senators, an expansion team awarded to Washington, D.C., after the old Washington Senators team of the American League moved to Minnesota and became the Twins. The new Senators remained in Washington through 1971 playing at Griffith Stadium in their first season and at RFK Stadium for the next 10 years. In 1972, the team moved to Arlington, Texas, where it became the Texas Rangers. The Rangers played at Arlington Stadium from 1972 to 1993, Globe Life Park in Arlington from 1994 to 2019. The team moved into Globe Life Field in 2020.
  The Senators/Rangers franchise is widely regarded as one of the most unsuccessful organizations in all of North American professional sports. It took the team 36 seasons to finally make the playoffs and they have since made only eight appearances in the MLB postseason, seven following division championships in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2010, 2011, 2015, and 2016 and as a wild card team in 2012.
context_section_description: Prior to the 2004 season, little hope was held out for the Rangers to improve on their losing ways. However, the Rangers battled with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Oakland Athletics for first place in the A.L. West for much of the season. Mark Teixeira, Alfonso Soriano, Michael Young, and Hank Blalock became some of the best-hitting infielders in the league, with Young, Blalock, and Soriano were named to the 2004 All-Star Game. Soriano was named the All-Star MVP after going 2 for 3 with a three-run home run. Late in September, the Oakland A's visited Arlington for a three-game series. After taking the first two games of the series, the Rangers trailed 4–2, in the bottom of the ninth. A loss would have dropped them to four games behind the Athletics. A home run by Hank Blalock and a dramatic two-out, two-run double by David Dellucci (known amongst fans as the "Dellucci Double") gave the Rangers a 5–4 win, one of the most memorable in club history. It also allowed the Rangers to sweep the first-place Athletics and leave them just two games behind with ten to play. Unfortunately, the Rangers ended up losing six of the final ten games and another turnaround season came up short. The club finished in third place behind the Angels and A's, a mere three games out of first place.
caption: Michael Young
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