Eliminated: Athletics, Los Angeles Angels
Houston: 2 @ SEA, 4 @ ATH
Texas: 3 vs. NYM, 3 @ MIN
Seattle: 2 vs. HOU, 4 vs. LAA
Million Dollar Question: Can the Rangers finally get over the hump?
On multiple levels, it would be fitting if the Texas Rangers were the first team in MLB history to make the postseason with a .500 or worse record.
For starters, when the 1994 strike began, the Rangers were leading the AL West with a 52-62 record. We were all but guaranteed to have a losing record in the postseason, but it never arrived. Now, 32 years later, we are staring down the barrel of another work stoppage—with the AL West having already stopped working again.
But in the here and now, they have been the textbook definition of “mid” this season.
At no point have the Rangers been more than three games over .500, nor more than six games below .500. Their biggest division lead was two games, and their largest deficit was three games. They’ve been exactly .500 on 24 separate occasions.
Forever in the mix for the postseason; never a serious threat to actually win the World Series.
But what if they’ve saved their best for last?
Winning the World Series is all about getting hot at the right time, and who’s to say that the Rangers can’t do just that?
Whether they win the division or end up with the No. 6 seed, they wouldn’t have to face the Rays, Yankees or Red Sox until the ALCS. And by then, momentum might be on their side.
Our pick is Houston, but whoever wins this division is going to have quite the “Nobody believes in us” motivation within the clubhouse.
Prediction: Houston Astros No. 3 seed