Every baseball season, the goal is the same. Win the World Series. For some, winning it would mean much more than for others. And for a franchise that has never won one in its franchise’s history, it means more than any other team in the league.Â
“Everything i’ve ever worked for is for this moment” – Marcus Semien (2b)
After losing 94 games in 2022, the Rangers front office made key moves in the 2023 offseason. They signed Andrew Heaney, Nathan Eovaldi, and Jacob DeGrom. Hopes were high with Jacob DeGrom, however, he would injure his wrist and undergo Tommy John surgery, ending his season.
The Rangers started 3-0 and took 1 out of 3 games against the Orioles. After that start, the Rangers continued to go on a roller coaster of a ride, winning multiple in a row, and then going on what felt like endless losing streaks throughout the season. After battling a three-way battle for first place in the AL West between Houston and Seattle, the Ranger had a playoff-clinching win in Seattle to guarantee a playoff series. Now all they needed to do was win and they would clinch the AL West. However, they would lose 1-0, and tie with the Astros. However, the Astros had the advantage over the Rangers because of a disaster series where the Rangers were outscored 39-10 over 3 games. That didn’t stop the Rangers.
AL Wild Card Series
A series against the 99-win Tampa Bay Rays. This series would be completely in Tampa, and it was a best of 3, which means you have to win two to move on. In the first game, it was all Rangers. The Rays lost 4-0, crediting Jordan Montgomery with the win. In game 2, the Rangers continued their dominance, and Eovaldi won 7-1, to move on to the ALDS.
AL Division Series
Against the 101 win Baltimore Orioles, this was a tough playoff series and almost nobody could expect what was going to happen. In game 1, The Rangers got a tough victory over the O’s, 3-2. The next game, the Rangers won 11-8, to shift the series to Globe Life Field. The Rangers needed 1 victory, and then they were in the ALCS for the first time since 2011. In game 3, with Eovaldi pitching, the Rangers went up 1-0 in the 1st, then they completed a 5-run inning in the 2nd. And then if there was any hope of an Orioles’ comeback, it ended in the 6th when Nathaniel Lowe put the game on ice with a home run to win the game 7-1 and move on to the ALCS against the division rival Houston Astros.
AL Championship Series
The series was perfect. The rivalry, along with a game 7. This series was intense. In game 1, the Rangers won the game 2-0 as a result of some stellar pitching from Jordan Montgomery. In game 2, after a quick start, going up 4-0 in the 1st, the Rangers held on just barely and won 5-4. This was the perfect scenario. Stole two games from the Astros at home, and now the series is shifting back to Globe Life? Are we gonna sweep the Astros? No. The answer was no. Almost immediately, the Astros tied the series 2-2, taking away all momentum from the Rangers. The Rangers had one more home game. If they won, that would put them up 3-2, and the series would shift back to Houston.Â
This was the perfect game 5. The series is tied, and the winner of game 5 in a 2-2 series wins the series 81.25% of the time. Well, it didn’t go as planned. After a couple of runs, the score was 2-1, in favor of the Astros. However, in the bottom of the 6th, Adolis Garcia hit a 3-run homer to take the lead, 4-2. Momentum shifted, and the game seemed to be going the Rangers way. Then it all went sideways. For starters, Garcia was hit by a pitch in the 8th. After he got hit, he turned to Astros catcher Martin Maldonado, and the benches cleared. Bryan Abreu (the pitcher who hit Garcia), was ejected for intentionally throwing the ball at Garcia. Garcia was also ejected.
After all of that, Ranger’s closer Jose Leclerc gave up a 3-run homer to give Houston the lead. In the 9th, the Rangers could not get a run to tie, and the Astros took the game to go up 3-2. With their backs against the wall, and the series shifting back to Houston, the series seemed lost. That all changed in Game 6. In Houston, the Rangers won 9-2 and Adolis Garcia hit a Grand Slam to put the game on ice and force “one game to settle it all.” In game 7, it was over before it started. The Rangers tagged Christian Javier for 3 runs in the 1st and forced the Astros to an early bullpen appearance. And while Scherzer only played 2.2 innings, the Rangers won the game off an Astros groundout and began to celebrate their first pennant since 2011.
World Series
All the pressure is here. Against a smoking-hot Arizona Diamondbacks team that ran through the Dodgers, Brewers, and the Phillies, this series was going to be tough. In game 1, the Rangers started by going up 2-0, but fell to 3-2 and then eventually 5-3. Going into the bottom of the 9th, Corey Seager had other plans. Seager hit a 2-run homer to tie the game up. Suddenly, this game was entertaining. The game went into extra innings until the bottom of the 11th, Adolis Garcia walked off with a game-winning homer to go up 1-0 in the series.
“Special players step out in moments like that” – Corey seager (SS)
They would have another game in Texas before the series shifted to Arizona. However, game 2 was something to forget. The Rangers lost 9-1, and the Diamondbacks tied the series up 1-1. In game 3, the Rangers played 3 solid innings, going up 3-0 and making good defensive plays. One where Adolis Garcia threw the ball all the way to home to get the runner out. However, the game would stay 3-0 until Aroldis Chapman trotted out to the mound togivee Rangers fans the most stressful inning of their life (besides Nelson Cruz 2011 Game 6 bottom of the 9th), but he eventually came through and the Rangers won 3-1.Â
There was bad news though. Both MaxScherzerr and Adolis Garcia were injured in that game. They were eventually taken off the roster, ineligible to play in the World Series again this year. The Rangers took it personally. After learning that Garcia was gone for the season, they came out the gate hot, tagging multiple Diamondbacks pitchers to eventually go up 10-0 on Halloween night. And while the score ended up being 11-7, the game was way more dominant than the score shows. And then there was one more win needed. If the Rangers win this game, they claim their first World Series title in the history of their franchise. In game 5, Zac Gallen (Arizona’s pitcher), held the Rangers to a no-hitter until the 7th. Nathan Eovaldi (Ranger’s pitcher), did not hold Arizona to a no-hitter but looked like Houdini himself when there were runners on base.
The game was 0-0 until the top of the 7th, where Garver singled to let Seager score to go up 1-0. Then, out trotted Aroldis Chapman. Ranger’s fans were ready to watch it all fall apart with him pitching. However, he proved everyone wrong. He got 2 outs, didn’t allow a hit, and walked one runner. Bruce Bochy replaced him with Josh Sborz, and he got the final out. Later, in the top of the 9th, the Rangers scored again, going up 3-0. And then, to put the final game on ice, Marcus Semien (who had struggled in the postseason up to this point), hit a 2 run homer to go up 5-0. In the bottom of the 9th, Josh Sborz got 3 out, and won the game for the Rangers. Rangers players cleared the benches and ran onto the field to celebrate the World Series win.
Aftermath
After the win, the World Series MVP was given to Corey Seager, his second WS MVP in his career and first with the Rangers. The Rangers have a couple of major free agents to try and sign back such as Jose Leclerc, Jordan Montgomery, Andrew Heaney, Austin Hedges, Mitch Garver, and Robbie Grossman. Luckily, they still have Jacob DeGrom who should be back by midseason 2024. However, many of these players were key contributors to this WS run and the Rangers should make a great effort to keep most of these players in their lineup. Anyway, that’s the Rangers’ season in review, and next season, run it back boys!
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