The MLB Rangers tonight "will return home to a re-energized fan base ... after a highly successful nine-game road trip," and included in the homestand against the Red Sox will be LF Josh Hamilton's "latest home debut," according to Jeff Mosier of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS. Hamilton was traded back to the Rangers recently after signing a free-agent deal with the Angels prior to the '13 season, and Rangers Exec VP/Ballpark Entertainment & Productions Chuck Morgan said that he "expects a generous welcome from fans at Globe Life Park." Hamilton "was booed loudly" in his final game there in a Rangers uniform in '12. But now it is "obvious that fans are eager to see" Hamilton's return to Arlington. The "cheapest tickets on StubHub" for tonight's game against the Red Sox "were selling for slightly more than seats the following night." Dallas-based Metro Tickets sales specialist Krysta Hertzog said that ticket prices for upcoming Rangers games "have increased." She added that her staff "wasn't sure whether that was a reaction to Hamilton's debut or response to the team's better performance" on the field, having won seven of their last nine games. The "expectation is for a crowd in the mid-30,000 range" today, although weather "could have an impact" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 5/28). Meanwhile, Hamilton's Rangers debut on Monday against the Indians drew a 4.3 rating in the Dallas-Ft. Worth market on FS Southwest, the highest since an April '14 game against the Mariners garnered a 4.6. Monday's rating is also 72% higher than the Rangers' season average of 2.5 (Fox).
