Darryl Hamilton, the man who played center field for one of the most important teams in Texas Rangers history, was shot to death near Houston sometime Sunday afternoon.
According to the Pearland Police Department, Hamilton and Monica Jordan were found dead after officers responded to a 911 call at 4:45 p.m. Hamilton had multiple gunshot wounds; Jordan suffered one, apparently self-inflicted shot. Hamilton and Jordan's 14-month-old child was found unharmed. The child is now in CPS custody.
Hamilton played just year, 1996, in Arlington, but he was a key part of the first team in Rangers history to make the playoffs. He helped the Rangers to an AL West-winning 90-72 record, hitting .293, mostly from the leadoff spot. On April 19, 1996, he memorably had three plate appearances — collecting a single and a walk before grounding out — in a single inning, as the Rangers scored 16 runs in the bottom of the eighth as part of a 26-7 rout of the Orioles.
Hamilton retired from baseball in 2001. He was employed as an analyst for the MLB Network.