The Spire

Jake Ruderman ’26

Sports Editor

The Texas Rangers have won the 2023 World Series, bringing home the championship title for the first time in franchise history. 12 years since their last WS appearance, the Rangers finally stand alone at the top, having delivered an incredibly impressive title run on the heels of multiple strong offseasons and an ownership recommitment to winning.

This Rangers team, as presently constructed, came into its own only over the last few seasons, and truly started with the legendary 2021 offseason that saw the key signings of now two-time World Series MVP Corey Seager, all-star Marcus Semien, and veteran Jon Gray. It was this offseason that signaled Rangers’ owner Ray Davis’ recommitment to winning through spending; Davis spent over $500 million in guaranteed contracts that winter, promising Rangers fans they wouldn’t be last for much longer. During the two years before that, the Rangers also pulled off two incredible trades, acquiring future all-star Jonah Heim and future ALCS MVP Adolis Garcia in exchange for almost nothing. Last offseason, the Rangers showed no signs of slowing down, inking two-time Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom, all-star Nathan Eovaldi, and veteran Andrew Heaney to multi-year contracts, solidifying their rotation. Combine these major splashes in free agency with savvy trades and you have a winning recipe; add on top of that a 3 time (now 4 time) World Series-winning manager in Bruce Bochy, one of the most experienced and decorated managers of all time, and you’ve got a championship caliber team. 

But, even with these big-name signings and incredible player development successes, the Rangers’ best qualities were their resilience and endurance. This Rangers team competed in an incredibly close division all year long. Though they led for the majority of the season, Texas suffered a devastating eight game losing streak to end August, and then proceeded to be swept at home by the dynastic Houston Astros to start September. What would have spelled collapse for many teams simply added fuel to the fire for the Rangers, who later took their revenge on Houston in a phenomenal 7-game ALCS. 

Aside from their plethora of ‘will they or won’t they’ streaks, the Rangers also overcame the loss of their ace, Jacob deGrom, who tore his UCL and underwent Tommy John surgery in early June. deGrom, who started the year off in classic form (2-0, 2.67 ERA and 45K in 30.1 IP), was looking to helm the rotation for this up-and-coming Rangers team, but left their pitching staff with a Cy-Young-sized hole. So what did the Rangers do to address it? They added at the deadline, trading for future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer, future playoff hero Jordan Montgomery, and the ever-polarizing Aroldis Chapman. Though none of these players were ‘guarantees’, all three of them came through in different ways, especially Montgomery, who cemented himself in Rangers history with a phenomenal postseason run. Regardless of their success, these deadline moves proved the Rangers saw themselves as contenders and were willing to sacrifice the future to solidify the here-and-now. 

So, what actually happened in the playoffs? The Rangers executed one of the single best postseason runs in MLB history. Texas made quick work of the AL’s top two teams, the formerly dominant Tampa Bay Rays and the young, powerful Baltimore Orioles. But their truest test still lay ahead of them: the Houston Astros. Texas had struggled mightily against Houston during the season, going an abysmal 4-9 against them and the ‘Stros looked sharp in the playoffs already. The Rangers took Games 1 and 2 in dominant fashion on the road, but surrendered Games 3, 4, and 5 at home. On the back of Adolis Garcia’s insane final two games (5-10, 3 HR, 9 RBI), Texas was able to find another level within them and stole both Game 6 and Game 7 on the road, slugging their way to victory. Adolis garnered ALCS MVP honors after sparking the Rangers to their first World Series appearance since 2011. 

In the World Series, the Rangers faced yet another young, up-and-coming team in the Arizona Diamondbacks, who had also just rallied back from down 3-2, winning back to back games in Philadelphia behind strong offense and stellar pitching. The D-Backs, winners of only 84 games this past season, were serious underdogs to this juggernaut Rangers team, but still gave them a fright in a remarkable Game 1, that saw Corey Seager hit a game-tying home run in the bottom of the ninth, and Adolis Garcia hit a walk off home run in the bottom of the eleventh. Arizona got their revenge in Game 2, delivering a 9-1 shellacking and proving to the Rangers that they meant business. But after an electric first two games, the rest of the Fall Classic was fairly tame, with Texas cleaning house, culminating in a 5-0 clinching shutout in Arizona. The Rangers’ Game 5 victory capped off their eleventh consecutive playoff win on the road – the best mark of all time. Corey Seager took home World Series MVP honors after blasting 3 HR, and 6 RBI, en route to a 1.137 OPS in the Series – his second time taking home baseball’s highest honor.

What can only be regarded as a phenomenal season for Texas should also serve as a message to other owners: money can be the key to victory, when spent well, and a savvy front office can pay dividends when young players flourish later on (like Evan Carter, Josh Jung, and Leody Taveras, who I didn’t have time to mention). The Rangers have cemented themselves in pole position for the next few years, and are reportedly on Shohei Ohtani’s short list for potential next teams (Oh boy!). Regardless, it should be a fun offseason in Texas and across the league. Until next time, baseball; see you again soon.

Featured image courtesy of CNN.