For the first time in their 63-year history the Texas Rangers have won the World Series. Last night the Rangers beat the scrappy Arizona Diamondbacks 5-0 to win the 2023 Series four games to one. The Rangers’ fan base suffered through six straight losing seasons prior to this year when their team jumped out to a great start but eventually limped into the post season with a wild card spot. Texas never looked back winning a record 11 road games and forging past the Tampa Bay Rays, the Baltimore Orioles, and the defending champion Houston Astros on their way to the World Series.

The Texas Rangers are a team full of young talented players and some high-priced free agents who all contributed to their historic victory. Corey Seager the star shortstop led the Rangers, earning his second World Series MVP as only the fourth player in MLB history to do so joining Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, and Reggie Jackson in this elite group. Even without their best post season performer Adolis Garcia, who was out with an injury, the Rangers prevailed with solid hitting by Marcus Semien, Mitch Garver and Evan Carter. Nathan Eovaldi dominated on the mound holding Arizona in check on his way to his record-tying fifth post-season victory. But it was the acquisition of Bruce Bochy that was the difference maker. Bochy the longtime crafty manager earned his fourth World Series title having accomplished the feat three previous times at the helm of the San Francisco Giants.

It was however a long tortuous road for the Texas Ranger franchise that began as the new Washington Senators in the American League expansion of 1961. The old Senators moved to Minnesota becoming the Twins and having success winning the AL pennant three times and the World Series twice. The new Washington Senators however were so bad that they had to flee town and move to Arlington Texas after the 1971 season where they became the Texas Rangers. Unfortunately, the franchise continued its tradition of futility for 25 more years before finally making it to the post season in 1996. The late 1990’s Rangers were a powerful team led by Juan Gonzalez and Ivan Rodriguez, but their post seasons were ended each time, 1996, 1998 and 1999 by my mighty New York Yankees who won five out of six American League pennants during this time frame.

The Rangers again re-emerged as a force in the American League under the leadership of manager Ron Washington winning the pennant two years in a row in 2010 and 2011. They lost the World Series without much of a fight to the San Francisco Giants in 2010, four games to one. But it was in the 2011 World Series that Ranger fans suffered their most excruciating experience. Ahead in the series to the St. Louis Cardinals three games to two, the Rangers needed just one more win to secure the championship. And with a 7-5 lead going into the bottom of the ninth they needed only three more outs. Worse yet they still led 7-5 with two outs and two strikes on Cardinal third baseman David Freese with their lights-out closer Neftali Feliz on the mound. But Freese lined a game-tying triple to right field past Ranger outfielder Nelson Cruz who was playing too shallow. The game then entered extra innings. In the top of the tenth a banged-up Josh Hamilton found the determination to hit a go-ahead two-run homer for Texas and once again the Rangers were three outs away from their first championship. But it got even worse. For the second time the Cardinals were down to their last strike before Lance Berkman laced a single to center to once again tie the game. Never in World Series history has a team twice been one out away from victory and failed to seal the deal as the Rangers did in that fateful game six. I remember watching that game on TV in complete disbelief; enjoying the tremendous drama as a baseball fan and being relieved that I was not a Texas Ranger fan knowing the anguish they must have felt. The Rangers’ arch nemesis Freese finished off the debacle with a leadoff walk-off home run in the bottom of the eleventh. Just to add salt to the wounds Freese said afterward he was just trying to walk and when what he thought was ball four was called a strike he reluctantly returned to the batter’s box and promptly hit the next pitch out of the park putting a dagger into the heart of every Rangers fan.

The Rangers went down meekly 6-2 in game seven and the 2011 championship, once in their grasp, slipped away.

So it was that last night was a time for glorious redemption for the Texas Rangers who had struggled for so many years and had been so close and have now finally made it to the top.

Congratulations to the Texas Rangers and all their devoted fans. You have waited a long time and victory is finally yours. Enjoy it.

References: wikipedia.org, and A History of the World Series; The Grandest Stage by Tyler Kepner