1996 American League Pennant
From Washington to Texas: A Legacy of Perseverance and Triumph
The Texas Rangers are an American professional baseball team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Rangers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. The team was founded as the Washington Senators in 1961, an expansion team awarded to Washington, D.C., after the previous Senators incarnation moved to Minneapolis to become the Minnesota Twins. The new Senators relocated to Arlington, Texas after the 1971 season and debuted as the Rangers the next spring. In 2020, the Rangers moved to the new Globe Life Field after having played at Globe Life Park (Choctaw Stadium) from 1994 to 2019. The team's name derives from a historic law enforcement agency.
- League Champion
- American League West (Division Title)
- ALCS Opponent
- Did not advance to ALCS
- Season Outcome
- Lost AL Division Series to New York Yankees 3-1
Lore & Background
The Rangers have made nine appearances in the MLB postseason (all as the Rangers—in their iteration as the Washington Senators, the team never made the postseason). Seven of these followed division championships in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2010, 2011, 2015, and 2016; the remaining two were as a wild card team in 2012 and 2023. Until 2010, the Rangers were the only MLB team never to have advanced past the first round of the playoffs. In 2010, the Rangers advanced past the Division Series for the first time, defeating the Tampa Bay Rays. The team then won its first American League pennant, beating the New York Yankees in six games; league MVP Josh Hamilton won the first ALCS MVP award for a Ranger player. In their first appearance in a World Series, the Rangers fell to the San Francisco Giants in five games. They repeated as American League champions in 2011, but lost the World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games after twice being one strike away from winning the series in game six. The Rangers made it to the 2023 World Series and won their first championship, defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks in five games. Corey Seager was the first Ranger player to win the World Series Most Valuable Player Award.
In Their Own Story
The air inside The Ballpark in Arlington was thick with anticipation on that final night of October. As Juan Gonzalez stepped up to the plate, the roar of the crowd seemed to shake the very foundations of the stadium. With two outs and a full count, he connected perfectly, sending the ball soaring into the night sky. In that split second, history was made; the Rangers were heading to the World Series for the first time in their existence.
Reader's Guide
From 1961 through 2025, the franchise's overall win–loss record is (). Since moving to Texas in 1972, the Rangers have an overall win–loss record of () through 2025.
Did You Know?
- The Rangers' name derives from the Texas Rangers, a historic law enforcement agency.
- The team played its first game in Texas on April 15, 1972, a 1–0 loss to the California Angels.
- The Rangers won their first World Series championship in 2023, defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks in five games.
More in Club History & Eras
Elsewhere in the Texas Rangers universe
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