On May 10, 1972, the Texas Rangers (formerly the Washington Senators) faced the Baltimore Orioles for the first time. The game was a tight pitching duel between Dave McNally and Pete Broberg, who both went the distance. In a strange circumstance, the Orioles would win when, in the bottom of the ninth, Merv Rettenmund would score on a error by Rangers’ catcher Ken Suarez. In other words, not a single earned run was scored in the 1-0 Orioles victory.

This set the tone for the future of the two most bizarrely matched teams in baseball. When the Red Sox and Yankees face off, the games go forever. When the Orioles and Rangers face each other, games go to the Twilight Zone. So after that first game, where no earned runs were scored, here are some notable occurrences since then:

• Later that season, on June 9, Toby Harrah of the Rangers got Paul Blair out by using the hidden ball trick.
• On June 10, 1979, Billy Sample of the Rangers lined into a 5-4-3 triple play in Baltimore.
• May 6, 1984: Cal Ripken Jr. hit for the cycle in Arlington.
• On August 22, 1993, Rangers CF Butch Davis hit the first inside-the-park HR in Camden Yards history.
• On April 19, 1996, the Rangers beat down the Orioles 26-7. This is not the most lopsided score in the history of the matchup, as you will see.
• July 19, 2001: The second game of a doubleheader between the Orioles and Rangers is postponed due to a chemical spill in Baltimore.
• July 7, 2007. Erik Bedard ties Orioles’ record for strikeouts (15) against, you guessed it, the Texas Rangers.
• 2007. This game. Seriously, just look at the box score, I don’t have anything else to say.
• On April 15, 2009, Ian Kinsler had six hits in a game against Baltimore.
• And the grand series we just had, which had Josh Hamilton’s big night, the Orioles going back-to-back-to-back to start a game, Colby Lewis becoming the first player ever to have 10 or more strikeouts and give up five homers… and so on…

Interestingly enough, the weirdness magnet that is Texas-Baltimore did not start when the Rangers moved their from DC. On Sept. 12, 1962, Senators pitcher Tom Cheney went 16 innings and had a record 21 strikeouts.

Know of any other weird Texas-Baltimore games? Let me know.