The Texas Rangers completed the comeback, toppling the in-state rival Houston Astros in the 2023 ALCS to advance to the World Series — just their third in franchise history (dating back to 1972) and their first since 2011. But how has Texas fared in those previous trips Fall Classic? Let’s take a walk down memory lane. (Rangers fans, we forgive if you want to look away.)
Texas Rangers history in World Series
Baseball in north Texas dates back to 1972, when the Washington Senators headed west and became the Rangers. And for the first two decades or so, things were … not great: From 1972 to the 1994 lockout, Texas won 90 or more games exactly once, lost 90+ six times and never reached the postseason. There were signs of life in the late 90s, thanks to a fearsome lineup led by stars like Juan Gonzalez, Pudge Rodriguez, Will Clark and Rafael Palmeiro, but the Rangers, like everyone else, ran into a Yankees problem: Texas reached the ALDS three times from 1996 to 1999, faced New York all three times and went a combined 1-9.
In the early 2010s, though, the franchise finally broke through. With Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz and Ian Kinsler propelling the offense and C.J. Wilson anchoring the rotation, Texas won the AL West in 2010 and rampaged all the way to its first World Series — dispatching the Yankees in the ALCS to boot. Alas, Even Year Magic proved too powerful a force, and the Rangers suffered a gentleman’s sweep at the hands of Buster Posey, Tim Lincecum and the Giants. Still: This was a young, ascending team with everything ahead of them, and it wasn’t hard to see at least one if not multiple titles in their future.
Sure enough, Texas was even better in 2011. They won 96 games, took the AL West again, then had no trouble with either the Rays or Tigers en route to their second straight Fall Classic. Their opponent this time? A Cardinals team that went just 90-72 in the regular season and was considered a substantive underdog. Surely, this was the Rangers’ time.
The two teams split the first four games of the series, but Mike Napoli’s two-run double in the eighth gave the Rangers a crucial win in Game 5. They headed back to St. Louis needing just one more win to capture that long-elusive first title, and after back-to-back homers from Cruz and Adrian Beltre gave them the lead late in Game 6, the champagne was officially on ice.
Alas, Rangers fans probably know what happened next. More specifically: David Freese happened next, first with a game-tying triple with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and then — after Texas blew another two-run lead in the 10th — walking things off with a homer in the 11th.
Texas would lose Game 7, 6-2, watching a title slip through their grasp. The franchise hasn’t been back to the World Series since, losing in the Wild Card Game the next year and falling in the ALDS in both 2015 and 2016. After dispatching the reigning world champs on their home field, though, Rangers fans are rightfully optimistic that this is finally their year — lord knows they’ve earned it.
