Texas Rangers: The dream of winning the World Series title
The Texas Rangers, paradoxically, epitomise both perfection and unpredictability. While they have in the possession some of the most talented players in baseball, they have not been very lucky to achieve what is unquestionably considered the ultimate glory
for any team to attain.
Ever since their creation, the club has yet to win the World Series title. As hard as they tried, there has always been a reversal of fortune as the team made their way into the best-of-seven World Series finals.
Take, for example, the 2010 finale where the Rangers were confronted by the San Francisco Giants. The relatively young side had qualified for the finals after winning more than 90 of their games in the regular season.
Rangers were the deserving qualifiers for the next round; thanks a great deal to the outstanding performance they put on display throughout the season.
When the Texas Rangers qualified for the American League Division Series, it had been predicted that the Rangers will be tough rivals for the Tampa Bay Rays to overcome. This inevitably turned out to be true.
In the American League Division Series’ best-of-five games, the Rangers beat the Tampa Bay Rays in the first game 5-1, winning the second 6-0. Tampa Bay tried to make their way back into the Series with back-to-back victories, winning consecutively 6-3 and
5-2.
However, the finals game saw the Rangers rise to the occasion. In the presence of more than 41,000 spectators, Texas beat the Rays 5-1 to elevate themselves to the American League Championship Series.
Faced with the otherwise strong New York Yankees, the Texas Rangers made a huge comeback after losing the first two games of the best-of-seven. The Rangers won the next four consecutive games to face the San Francisco Giants in the World Series finals.
However, with the equally emphatic wins in the postseason games, the Rangers fell flat in the World Series finals, failing to demonstrate the kind of brilliance they had shown in the first half. The Giants went on to eventually beat them 4-1 for the title.
The Giants thrashed the Rangers 11-7 in the first game followed by 9-0 rout against the now seemingly cornered team. The Rangers could only score a victory in the third game when they managed to beat the Giants 4-2, only to lose the next two games 4-0 and
3-1, winning the World Series 4-1.
Disappointing as their performance remained in the 2010 finals, 2011 saw the Rangers being assertive once again. The club outperformed their rivals in the League, winning more than 96 of their first half game, making their way into the playoffs.
In the American League Division Series, the team was outrivaled by the Tampa Bay Rays, losing 9-0 in the first game. However, the Rangers won the next three-games 8-6, 4-3 and 4-3, announcing their majestic return. From there, the Rangers took on the Detroit
Tigers in the American League Championship Series.
The Rangers then beat the Detroit Tigers 4-2 in the ALCS. But when they entered into the World Series finals, the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Rangers 4-3, thwarting Texas from winning the World Series title for the first time in their history.
In close to five decades of history that the Rangers have in the MLB, they have yet to realise the dream of being Champs. This year, more than any season, the Rangers have a wonderful opportunity to achieve it; thanks to their ever strengthening line-up
and fierce determination.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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