Mr. 300, Rangers Manager Jeff Banister.

Congratulations to Jeff Banister.

With last night’s 7-5 win over the Detroit Tigers, Banister becomes the fastest Texas Rangers manager to 300 wins. It took him 574 games.

If you don’t count interim manager Tim Bogar, who at 14-8 had a winning percentage of .636 but in a small sample size, Banister has the second-highest winning percentage of any Rangers manager at .522, barely squeaking past Ron Washington who ended his Rangers managerial career with a .521 winning percentage. Billy Hunter, who managed Texas in 1977 and 1978 is highest at .575.

Banister has won Manager of the Year. He’s led his teams to two division championships. And now this fastest to 300 wins. He is building quite a resumé in Arlinugton.

But while he reached that 300 threshold so quickly, it hasn’t come without some difficulty. Of the 574 games in which he has managed, the Rangers have been under .500 after 285 of them, or nearly half, at 49.6 percent. This season they have been under .500 after 87 of their 88 games played. In 2016 it was 123 of 162. Just 4 of 162 in 2016, and 71 of 162 in 2015.

That’s because his teams are known for getting off to horrendous starts in three of his four seasons as manager. He was helped in 2015 when Jon Daniels made the trade for Cole Hamels that turned around the downward trajectory of his first managerial season and won him that Manager of the Year award.

And, while Bannister is the quickest to 300,  he hasn’t been able to win a playoff series, losing to Toronto in both 2015 and 206. Unfortunately, with the personnel he has been given, he won’t be winning a playoff series for a while.

But a huge tip of the cap to Jeff Banister. Fastest to 300.

*****
TODAY’S GAME:

Bartolo Colon (5-5, 4.76) vs. Jordan Zimmerman (3-0, 3.91)
Game time: 6:10

How the Rangers hit against Zimmerman.
How the Tigers hit against Colon.