Series Thread: Rangers Close Out Season in Seattle With Four Games September 28 - October 1

[WilltheThrill]

I remember everything about it. Everything. Every single emotion. I'd just watched the Mavs win a title, grew up with Cowboy dominance, and was at the Rose Bowl when VY scored on 4th down to win it all (I'm a Texas alum).
But when Josh Hamilton put us up in extra innings AFTER the Freese tying hit, I'd never been more excited, or more sure of something. We were going to win. I knew it. I just knew it.

When we were a strike away, again, and still couldn't finish, game 7 loss just felt inevitable.

I've never really recovered I guess.

I had actually gone to every home playoffs game that year, all the way through the World Series. I am lifelong close friends with Jackie Moore, who was their bench coach at the time. So he would hook me up with a ticket for every game. I enjoyed that whole ride like no other time in sports in my life. I almost felt a part of that team with the number of times I hung out with them after games in the players’ family lounge. Elvis even knew me by name. So it wasn’t just 35 years of fandom at that point that I had riding on it… it was even something a little more. I got offered a chance to fly to Game 6, but I had pneumonia and a 104 degree fever. So while I couldn’t make the trip, I selfishly ventured out into the public and went to a local sports bar that was packed to the doors with people watching every pitch. I wanted to be there with my fellow fans to celebrate. I felt like complete crap and was sweating from head to toe, but I savored every last pitch. And the entire bar was in a complete deafening roar when Freese stepped up to face Feliz. And then the most cruel fate struck not once but twice. I was beyond sick. The whole bar went completely silent for like 5 seconds. Then there was a mix of angry yelling and some people even crying. I drove home that night honestly wondering if I could ever watch a sporting event again. My girlfriend volunteered to come over and watch Game 7 with me, but I just couldn’t. Like you, I knew what the outcome was going to be. And I just couldn’t take watching another heartbreak that bad again. She took me out to eat and I could hear people getting angry watching the tv in the bar. I knew. I saw the final score on my phone and had to take a long offseason break from even hearing the word “baseball”.

 

[WilltheThrill]

Congrats Rangers fans, good luck in the post season …

Thanks for the kind words. Everyone on this board wanted you guys to qualify and not Houston. We’ve been rooting for them to lose every game just so that very thing could happen. We hate the Astros as much as you guys do.

 

[WastinSomeTime]

We can take Minny and Toronto. They're frauds. I think we can hang with Tampa or Baltimore, too... depending on which version of our offense we get.
There's no great team in the AL this year, so why can't we go on a run?

Seems like the Twins kicked our butts a month or so ago.

 

[WastinSomeTime]

Who is the starting pitcher for the Rangers tomorrow.

Wouldn't it have to be Martin Perez? Unless they pitch Dunning on 3 days rest instead of 4.

 

[saddles]

I'm not trying to jinx. I'm just going back to watch dumb shows my wife loves. Grats Texas, good luck in the playoffs.

Thanks.

 

[boogiewithstu2007]

Thanks for the kind words. Everyone on this board wanted you guys to qualify and not Houston. We’ve been rooting for them to lose every game just so that very thing could happen. We hate the Astros as much as you guys do.

Oh man totally, if you guys end up facing them, hope you beat um !!

 

[WilltheThrill]

Seems like the Twins kicked our butts a month or so ago.

Yep, and they could do so again. But at this time of year (in every sport), it’s usually not about which team is the best but rather which team gets insanely hot at the right time.

The 2011 Cardinals were as big of a fluke as it gets. They got into the playoffs as a Wild Card on the final day of the season that year. They weren’t even the best team in the NL… just the hottest. Just like the 2011 Mavs. Not the best team, not the #1 seed, but a crazy hot team with a possessed German who went off. 8 seeds make the Stanley Cup Finals semi-frequently. So since most of the teams are approximately the same (excluding the Braves), it might come down to which lineup goes on a tear. The first half Rangers could win the World Series. The current Rangers could get swept if they don’t start putting up more runs more frequently.

 

[saddles]

By the way, did you see the Seager interview after the game? When asked how much Bochy made a difference this year, he basically said it was all about team resilience. Nothing about Bochy.

Very interesting.

Yeah, I noticed that.

 

[saddles]

Congrats Rangers fans, good luck in the post season …

Thanks!

 

[WilltheThrill]

Even though pitching does win championships, our playoff fortunes will likely be determined by our hitting. They are the big mystery in all of this.

We know what our rotation will do- pitch well and keep the opponent off the scoreboard for the most part through 5 or 6 innings.

And we know what our bullpen will do- suck the life out of all of us and be epically terrible. They will cough up runs like a bodily function.

But our offense is the deciding factor. We never know which offense will show up each game. The first half offense scored plenty of runs to cover up the hideous bullpen. But the second half offense couldn’t score enough to make a winner out of any starting pitcher. No telling which shows up.

 

[saddles]

Wouldn't it have to be Martin Perez? Unless they pitch Dunning on 3 days rest instead of 4.

Yeah, they were talking about that on the radio. They could start Dunning knowing he could only give them 3 or 4 and then switch to the lefty Perez after Seattle has their lineup built for Dunning. Or, they could reverse those two.

 

[Kelleyman]

Dunning is starting tomorrow on short rest.
A lot at stake

 

[saddles]

 

[saddles]

Dunning is starting tomorrow on short rest.
A lot at stake

What an amazing year for him.

 

[Senator_fan]

Like it better than Perez starting, but he’ll pitch tomorrow too.

 

[DTC]

Man super pumped the Rangers made it to the playoffs!!!

 

[saddles]

Man super pumped the Rangers made it to the playoffs!!!

And you guessed closest to the win total. Lol

 

[DTC]

And you guessed closest to the win total. Lol

I was confident in our Rangers ! Lol

 

[saddles]

Well, are we to the point that we feel good enough about Leclerc to count on him for the bullpen next year? The Rangers have a team option on him for $6.25 million.

 

[saddles]

Shout out to Josh Sborz for his work tonight.