The Texas Rangers Unlikely Playoff Run
How the Rangers turned their losing September around to a winning October
IBWAA members love to write about baseball. So much so, we've decided to create our own newsletter about it! Subscribe to Here's the Pitch to expand your love of baseball, discover new voices, and support independent writing. Original content six days a week, straight to your inbox and straight from the hearts of baseball fans.
Pregame Pepper
Did you know…
. . . The 90 wins the Rangers accumulated in the regular season were the first time they reached that milestone since winning 90+ in five of seven seasons between 2010 and 2016. The first year of that run, the Rangers took a 90-win team all the way to the World Series against the Giants.
. . . The Rangers have had some definite talent at the helm over the years. Three managers are already in the Hall of Fame (Gil Hodges, Ted Williams, and Whitey Herzog) with two (Bruce Bochy and Buck Showalter) likely future HOF inductees.
Leading Off
An Unlikely Playoff Run for the Rangers
By Ben Dieter
The Texas Rangers looked dead in the water at the end of September. They had lost three out of four to the Seattle Mariners and lost the division to the Houston Astros in game 162.
Instead of a bye and some time to rest, they had to fly from Seattle to Tampa, Fla. to face off against the Rays. The Rays had won 99 regular season games.
After sweeping the Rays in the American League Wild Card Series, the Rangers had to face the 101-win Baltimore Orioles. Again, the Rangers completed an unlikely sweep.
In fact, a team that couldn’t seem to find a way to win the last week of September swept their first seven postseason games.
So what changed that made this team find a way to win when it mattered? We all know it was the pitching, and pitching wins championships.
Jordan Montgomery has been brilliant throughout the Rangers’ run so far, and so has Nathan Eovaldi. The bullpen, a serious weakness in the regular season, also got the job done.
Jose LeClerc successfully shut down the opponents in the first seven games of the postseason. Josh Sborz has been lights out. Aroldis Chapman, although not shutting opponents down, got the job done.
Everything that went wrong for the Rangers in September seemed to be their strong suit during this postseason run.
It should have come as no surprise as the Rangers did this all season - a long run of success followed by a struggle. The offense was either amazing or bad. The pitching was usually good enough.
The team gets to face their in-state rivals for the ALCS, which is heading to game seven as this article is being published.
The Rangers have once again hit a bad streak, can they snap out of it? After taking the first two of the American League Championship Series in Houston, they lost the next three in Arlington.
Can this team once again find magic enough to win it all? We will soon find out the answer to that question.
They say pitching wins championships, and the Texas Rangers are lacking in that front, but have somehow made it deep into the ALCS. This team is built to succeed for the foreseeable future, and it should be a fun ride for Rangers fans everywhere!
Ben Dieter began writing about the Texa Rangers in 2009. He can be found each week on The Ranger Report Podcast, and his writings can be found at www.therangerreport.com and www.dalsportsnation.com You can contact him @therangerreport on Twitter.
Extra Innings
While the pitching depth stung the Rangers deeper in the postseason this year, the club returns a deep group of starters, even though they will lose postseason hero Jordan Montgomery. Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom, when healthy, will front the rotation, with Jon Gray, Nathan Eovaldi, and Dane Dunning rounding out the current projected starting five. The Rangers also hold an option on Andrew Heaney.
On top of that, the Rangers have some minor league depth with Owen White and Cole Winn already having logged MLB innings, Jack Leiter the top pitching prospect in the system, and two of the top performers in the Arizona Fall League, starter Zak Kent and reliever Emiliano Teodo.