World Series Winners: A Look Back at the Texas Rangers History
At the start of the 2023 season, few baseball fans envisioned the Texas Rangers would win the World Series. Despite some heavy spending, the Rangers lost 94 games in 2022 and 102 games the previous year. However, the team’s magical run to the world championship changed the course of the franchise forever, not to mention the demand for Texas Rangers tickets in 2024 and beyond. But since the Rangers aren’t regarded as one of the most prestigious teams in MLB history, fans don’t know that much about their history. In order to change that, let’s take a look back at the club’s past and everything that led up to the Rangers winning the 2023 World Series.
Born in Washington
Most fans probably don’t know that the Rangers weren’t always the Rangers. The franchise started in 1961 as the Washington Senators, replacing the old Washington Senators after they relocated to Minnesota and became the Twins that same year. However, the new franchise struggled mightily, losing at least 100 games in each of its first four seasons. In 11 seasons as the Senators, the team had just one winning season and finished no better than 15.5 games out of first place.
Moving to Texas
After more than a decade of futility, the Senators moved to Arlington in 1972 and became the Rangers. They also moved from the AL East to the AL West, which the Rangers have called home ever since. Of course, success was also hard to find early in the team’s Texas tenure. The Rangers lost 100 games in each of their first two seasons in Texas before finishing second in the AL West with an 84-76 record in 1974. Alas, the Rangers would still have to wait more than two decades longer to see the postseason for the first time.
Ryan Time
While waiting for on-field success, the Rangers were able to enjoy a few memorable moments when Texas native Nolan Ryan joined the team in 1989. The Hall of Famer spent the last five seasons of his career pitching for the Rangers. During that time, Ryan pitched the sixth and seventh no-hitters of his career and recorded his 5,000th career strikeout. He was also pitching for the Rangers during his infamous fight on the pitcher’s mound with Robin Ventura, which was arguably the most memorable moment in franchise history up to that point.
The Perfect Game
The 1994 season became a lost one for baseball, as a strike by the players ended the season early. But before the strike, Kenny Rogers made history by pitching a perfect game against the Angels on July 28, 1994. That remains the only perfect game in franchise history and the most recent no-hitter in franchise history.
The First Time
More than three decades after the first game in franchise history, the Rangers finally played in the postseason for the first time. In 1996, Texas won the AL West with a 90-72 record behind Juan Gonzalez, who won MVP honors that year. Unfortunately, the Rangers lost the ALDS 3-1 to the Yankees. The Rangers would return to the playoffs as AL West champs in 1998 when Gonzalez won MVP again and in 1999 when Ivan Rodriguez won MVP. However, the Yankees were once again waiting for them in the ALDS, sweeping the Rangers in both 1998 and 1999.
Winning the Pennant
In 2010, the Rangers made another major breakthrough. They once again won the AL West with Josh Hamilton leading the way as league MVP. This time, Texas finally won its first-ever postseason series, beating the Rays 3-2 in the ALDS. In the ALCS, the Yankees were waiting for them. But after being eliminated by the Bronx Bombers three times during the 90s, the Rangers finally got their revenge, beating the Yankees 4-2 to advance to the World Series for the first time in franchise history. Fittingly, it was former Texas slugger Alex Rodriguez who struck out for the final out of the series-clinching game.
Close Calls
Unfortunately, the Rangers were outmatched when they got to the 2010 World Series. Texas lost the series to the Giants in five games, getting outscored 29-12 over those five games. However, the Rangers were even better the following year, winning 96 games to capture the AL West crown again. Texas then eliminated the Rays and Tigers on the way to the 2011 World Series. The Rangers took a 3-2 series lead and were one inning away from a world championship, only to give up two runs to the Cardinals in the bottom of the ninth to send the game to extra innings. St. Louis went on to win Game 6, which is among the most compelling games in World Series history. The Cardinals won Game 7 to take the series, leaving the Rangers heartbroken after coming agonizingly close to winning the World Series.
On Top At Last
Twelve years after the devastation of the 2011 World Series, the Rangers finally got over the hump. Texas defeated the Rays in the Wild Card Round, the Orioles in the ALDS, and the Astros in the ALCS before beating the Diamondbacks in five games to win the World Series. During their playoff run, the Rangers went 13-4, including 11-0 in road games. They became the first team in baseball history to go undefeated on the road during the playoffs. More importantly, the Rangers finally captured their first-ever World Series title, setting the stage for a bright future.