The Texas Rangers‘ playoff picture is complete, as they have clinched one of the Wild Card spots in the AL. After a 1–0 loss to the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park Sunday afternoon, the Rangers finish the season at 90–72. They punched their postseason ticket the night before after beating the Mariners, 6–1. Their appearance in the postseason will mark the first time since the 2016 that the Rangers will play in October. The Mariners, meanwhile, will miss out on the playoffs as they finish the regular season with a record of 88–74.
Wild Card Series Set
The Rangers came into Sunday knowing they needed to win one more game. That win would have secured the American League West crown, and leave their fate out of anybody else’s — namely, the Houston Astros and Arizona Diamondbacks’ — hands. With the regular season in the rearview mirror, the Rangers’ next opponent will be the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Wild Card Series. That series will begin on Tuesday at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rangers have yet to announce their starting pitcher for the series opener, while the Rays will send right-hander Tyler Glasnow to the hill on Tuesday.
Another opponent the Rangers, and the Rays for that matter, will have to go against is time. If the Rangers had won the AL West, they would have had a week to rest before playing in the Division Series, as opposed to the 48 hours they have before they take the field again. It should be a good series, regardless. It was a dog fight for the Rangers in the last eight weeks of the season. They went from leading the division in convincing fashion to barely keeping their heads above water. Whatever the end result, they should be very proud of what they accomplished in the 2023 season.
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