Editing Texas Rangers (baseball) (section)

====Valentine, Ryan, and Bush (1985–1994)====
[[File:President George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, and Joe Morgan.jpg|thumb|[[George H. W. Bush]] with son [[George W. Bush]] (future president, Rangers owner from 1989 to 1994) and [[Joe Morgan]], 1991]]
Manager [[Bobby Valentine]] became steward over an influx of talent in the late 1980s and early 1990s. A winning season in 1986 was a shock to pundits and fans alike as the Rangers remained in the race for the American League pennant for the entire season. With a team consisting of stellar young rookies such as [[Rubén Sierra]], [[Pete Incaviglia]], [[Mitch Williams (baseball)|Mitch Williams]], [[Bobby Witt]], and [[Edwin Correa]], the Rangers finished the season in second place with an 87–75 record, just five games behind the division champion Angels. The season marked a dramatic 25-win improvement over the 1985 season, which resulted in yet another last place finish in the West.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}}

[[File:Nolan Ryan Tiger Stadium 1990 CROP.jpg|left|thumb|upright|[[Nolan Ryan]], Rangers pitcher from 1989 to 1993]]
The signing of 41-year-old star pitcher [[Nolan Ryan]] prior to the 1989 season allowed Ryan to reach his 5,000th [[strikeout]], 300th [[Win (baseball)|win]], and 6th and 7th [[no-hitter]]s with the Rangers. Despite powerful lineups including [[Juan González (baseball)|Juan González]], Rubén Sierra, [[Julio Franco]], and [[Rafael Palmeiro]] and a pitching staff that also included [[Charlie Hough]], Bobby Witt, [[Kevin Brown (right-handed pitcher)|Kevin Brown]], and [[Kenny Rogers (baseball)|Kenny Rogers]], Valentine's Rangers never finished above second place and he was relieved of his duties during the 1992 season.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}}

In April 1989, Rangers owner and oil tycoon [[Eddie Chiles]], sold the team to an investment group headed by [[George W. Bush]] for $89&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-08-27-sp-855-story.html|title=Los Angeles Times: "Chiles Reaches Agreement on Sale of Rangers"|date=27 August 1988 |access-date=9 May 2025}}</ref> While his own equity in the team was a small one ($500,000), Bush was named managing general partner of the new ownership group. He increased his investment to $600,000 the following year.<ref>[http://static.espn.go.com/mlb/bush/timeline.html ESPN: "A series of beneficial moves" By Tom Farrey] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190405024330/http://static.espn.go.com/mlb/bush/timeline.html |date=April 5, 2019 }} November 1, 1999</ref> Bush left his position with the Rangers when he was elected [[Governor of Texas]] in 1994, and he sold his stake in the team in 1998. Bush went on to win the [[2000 United States presidential election]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/south-texas-el-paso/news/2023/11/02/george-w--bush-congratulates-texas-rangers-on-world-series-win-|access-date=9 May 2025|title=George W. Bush congratulates Texas Rangers on World Series win|publisher=[[Spectrum News]]}}</ref>

During Bush's tenure, the Rangers and the City of Arlington decided to replace the aging Arlington Stadium with a new publicly funded stadium, at a cost of $193&nbsp;million, financed by Arlington residents, through a sales tax increase. Ground was broken on October 30, 1991, on what would become The Ballpark in Arlington (now named [[Choctaw Stadium]]).{{citation needed|date=May 2025}}

In 1993, [[Kevin Kennedy (baseball)|Kevin Kennedy]] took over managerial duties, presiding over the team for two seasons, keeping the 1993 Rangers in the hunt for a playoff berth into mid-September; Nolan Ryan also retired after that season. Kennedy was let go in 1994, although the team led the AL West prior to the [[1994–95 Major League Baseball strike|players' strike]] which prompted commissioner [[Bud Selig]] to cancel the remainder of the season and the playoffs. On July 28, Kenny Rogers pitched the 12th [[Perfect game (baseball)|perfect game]] in major league history in Arlington against the California Angels.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}}