Texas Rangers celebrate ‘Houston Style,’ after eliminating their old GM from playoffs
Not sure if someone with the Texas Rangers sought permission from the Houston Astros, but the Rangers went ahead and celebrated on Wednesday afternoon in Florida.
Our friends in H-Town are a bit sensitive about violating baseball’s etiquette when it comes to celebrating, whereas using advanced technology during a game is A-OK. Even the Astros would have to agree the Rangers were clear to party a little.
On Wednesday, the Rangers won an MLB playoff series for the first time since 2011. Before an embarrassingly small gathering of family and friends inside Tropicana Field, the Rangers again built a bullpen-proof lead to win 7-1 in Game 2 of their wild card series over the Tampa Ray Rays.
The Rangers advance to the American League Divisional Round, where they will play the top-seeded Baltimore Orioles. That best-of-five series will begin on Saturday in Baltimore. Games 3 and 4, if necessary, will be at Globe Life Mall in Arlington on Oct. 10 and 11.
Another oddity about these playoffs: There is a chance the Rangers could play two playoff series and host one playoff game.
The Rangers swept this best-of-three series with Tampa by out-scoring the Rays, 11-1. Neither game featured a save opportunity much less an actual save.
The common denominator in the Rangers ending the Rays’ postseasons in 2010, 2011 and again here in 2023 is none other than Jon Daniels. The former GM and president of the Rangers helped build the Rangers’ World Series teams in 2010 and ‘11, and now he has a front office job with the Rays.
A few months after he was fired by the Rangers in August of 2022, the Rays hired JD as a senior advisor, which means JD’s sphere of influence on that franchise is nothing compared to the power he wielded on the Texas Rangers for 17 years.
What happened on Wednesday in Florida is the oddest of coincidences, that wasn’t a coincidence.
The Rangers are in the American League Divisional round because ownership approved a massive spending spree, GM Chris Young convincing manager Bruce Bochy to come out of retirement, a team defense that’s as good as any in baseball, and a lineup that has not one single easy out.
Against Tampa in Game 2, every Rangers batter had at least one hit. You will have a hard time finding an infield that hits as well as the Rangers’ group that consists of first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, second baseman Marcus Semien, shortstop Corey Seager, third baseman Josh Jung and catcher Jonah Heim.
Had Seager not missed 40 games due to injury, he would be in serious consideration to win the AL MVP award, which instead will likely go to Angels pitcher/outfielder/hitter Shohei Ohtani. Seager is a bit of an odd duck, but as a player and producer he is the human hatting machine.
The Rangers pitched brilliantly against Tampa as a total of five Rangers pitched in these two wins. It’s hard to envision any scenario where they will repeat that level of production against a Baltimore team that won 101 games this season, but against Tampa they were nearly perfect.
Wednesday is the first time the Rangers have won a playoff series since the 2011 American League Championship series when they defeated the Detroit Tigers. Can’t quite remember what happened after that, which is probably just as well.
The Rangers had not won their last four playoff series, in 2011, ‘12, ‘15 and ‘16.
It is merely a coincidence, and not a coincidence, that the man who had so much to do with those Rangers teams is now a member of the franchise the Rangers just defeated to advance in the playoffs.
Even the Astros would agree what the Rangers did on Wednesday is worthy of a celebration.
This story was originally published October 4, 2023 at 4:59 PM.
