Rangers win World Series in five games

With a 5-0 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday night, the Texas Rangers claimed their first World Series championship in franchise history. They took the series 4-1, splitting the first two contests at Globe Life Field in Texas before winning all three at Chase Field in Arizona.

The Rangers franchise was established in 1961 as the Washington Senators, before moving to Arlington in 1972. The Rangers won back-to-back AL pennants in 2010 and ’11 but lost in the World Series both years. They held the second-longest championship drought in baseball, a title that now falls to the Milwaukee Brewers, who have not won a World Series in their 55-year history. The Cleveland Guardians, having last won a World Series in 1948, still hold the longest championship drought in the game at 75 years and counting.

Along with the Brewers, four other franchises have yet to win a World Series: the San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, Coloardo Rockies and Tampa Bay Rays.

The Rangers took fate into their own hands over the past two seasons, signing stars like Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Jacob deGrom, and Nathan Eovaldi to large contracts to accelerate their competitive window. They burst out of the gate in 2023, going 17-11 (.607) in April and 52-39 (.571) in the first half. General Manager Chris Young remained aggressive at the trade deadline, adding Max Scherzer and Jordan Montgomery to replenish a depleted rotation. The moves paid off and the Rangers finished the regular season 90-72 with a +165 run differential. Although they lost the division crown on a tiebreaker, they swept their way to the ALCS and dethroned the Houston Astros in a thrilling seven-game series. Just two years removed from a 102-loss season, the Rangers are World Series champions.

Seager was named World Series MVP for his dominant offensive performance against Arizona. In five games, he smacked three home runs, driving in six. The star shortstop led all players in the World Series in Win Probability Added (WPA), scoring a run in all four Texas victories. It is his second time winning World Series MVP honors, after previously taking home the award in 2020 with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Meanwhile, manager Bruce Bochy collects his fourth World Series title, having won with the San Francisco Giants in 2010, 2012 and 2014. Funnily enough, his Giants beat the Rangers to win it all in 2010. The long-time manager came out of retirement to join the Rangers in 2023, a surprising move at the time, but clearly a shrewd decision.

With the World Series wrapped up, it’s time for the offseason to officially begin. Teams can start making trades on Thursday and they will be able to sign free agents on Monday. That’s also the deadline for teams to make option decisions, to issue qualifying offers and to add players from the 60-day injured list back to the 40-man roster.