MIKE HARGROVE - INDUCTEE #120
hall of fame fast fact:
Mike Hargrove was involved in the first triple play in Texas Rangers history on Aug. 8, 1977. The Amarillo Globe-News reported that Oakland's Manny Sanguillen hit a ground ball to Texas' Toby Harrah, who stepped on third and threw to second baseman Bump Wills, who got the force and threw on to Hargrove at first.
Mike Hargrove
Mike Hargrove only played fast-pitch softball with his dad in Perryton before attending Northwestern Oklahoma State University as a football, basketball, and baseball player.
Hargrove didn’t dream of a Major League Baseball career until the early 1970s. The Texas Rangers drafted him in the 25th round in 1972; two years later, Hargrove was the team’s starting first baseman.
By the time his baseball playing career ended after 12 seasons, he’d earned the American League’s Rookie of the Year Award, collected more than 1,600 hits, and played in an All-Star game. He followed that with a Major League managing career that spanned 16 seasons with three teams.
He played in 1,666 big-league games with the Rangers, San Diego Padres, and Indians; he compiled a lifetime batting average of .290 and put together a winning record as a Major League manager.
He was involved in the first triple play in Texas Rangers history on August 8, 1977.
