The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team based in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex). They play in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division). The teams name derives from a historic law enforcement agency, the Texas Rangers, which was founded by Stephen F. Austin in 1823 when Texas was part of Mexico)). The Rangers moved to Arlington, Texas in 1972 and have called it home since then). Arlington is not part of Dallas, but it is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The Rangers play their home games at Globe Life Field, which is located in Arlington).