On this date in Texas Rangers history, it was a day of consequential trades and free-agent signings, some of which helped lead the Rangers to a division title.
On Dec. 22, 1995, the Rangers signed pitcher Ken Hill to a contract.
Hill, a free agent, threw for St. Louis and Cleveland the previous season. He became one of the anchors for the Rangers rotation as they won their first American League West title in 1996. Hill went 16-10 in 1996, finishing sixth in AL Cy Young Award voting.
Hill threw just two seasons for the Rangers, going 21-18 with a 4.11 ERA. He left after the 1997 season, playing for Anaheim, the Chicago White Sox and Tampa Bay before his career ended in 2001.
Another link in the 1996 rotation was John Burkett. On Dec. 22, 1994, the San Francisco Giants traded Burkett to the Rangers for Rich Aurilia and Desi Wilson. But Burkett didn’t pitch for the Rangers in 1995. He was released on April 7, 1995, and later signed with Florida. With the Marlins he went 14-14 in 1995, and in 1996 the Rangers traded for Burkett again.
That deal, on Aug. 8, 1996, was a pennant-push deal. Burkett went 5-2 for the Rangers down the stretch and won Game 1 of the American League Division Series. For more than a decade, he was the only Rangers starter to win a postseason game.
Then, there’s Chan Ho Park. On Dec. 22, 2001, the Rangers delivered a five-year, $65 million contract to the Dodgers ace who led Los Angeles in 2001 with 15 wins, 35 starts, 234 innings pitched, 2018 strikeouts and held hitters to a .187 batting average.
The Rangers thought they were getting an ace. However, he went 22-23 with a 5.79 ERA in four seasons with Texas. Injuries limited his effectiveness, and the Rangers traded him to San Diego in 2005.
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