1998 AL Pennant Win

Lore & Background

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. The team's name derives from the Texas Rangers, the state-wide investigative law-enforcement agency founded by Stephen F. Austin in 1823.

Reader's Guide

The Rangers have made nine appearances in the MLB postseason (all as the Rangers). 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. In 1998, the Rangers won the AL West division title but lost in the ALDS.

Did You Know?

• The Rangers were the only MLB team never to have advanced past the first round of the playoffs until 2010.
• In 2010, the Rangers won their first American League pennant, beating the New York Yankees in six games.
• The Rangers won their first World Series championship in 2023, defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks in five games.
• Corey Seager was the first Ranger player to win the World Series Most Valuable Player Award.