2011 ALCS Game 7 vs Tigers

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. 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.

Reader's Guide

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.

Did You Know?

• The Rangers are the only MLB team to finish above .500 after two consecutive 100-loss seasons (1974).
• The 2011 ALCS Game 7 was won by the Rangers 2-1 in 11 innings, with the winning run scoring on a walk-off single by Michael Young.