On June 23, the Texas Rangers held a 6.5-game lead in the AL West, their biggest of the season.
After that point, the team started to slowly surrender their lead in the division and now find themselves half a game behind the Houston Astros.
However, after a tough stretch from August 16 to September 8 in which they lost 16 of the 20 games they played, they have won six straight to gain some momentum as the season nears an end.
Two of those six were against the Oakland Athletics, but the next four were against a direct foe in the fight for a postseason spot: the Toronto Blue Jays.
As MLB on FOX states, it was a Texas-sized sweep because the Rangers needed some breathing room in the Wild Card race and because they can still win the division.
A Texas sized sweep🤠🧹
The @Rangers are now a half game back in the AL West division race 👀 pic.twitter.com/LGICCohLvZ
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) September 15, 2023
The sole fact they have been so competitive in 2023 with their 82-64 record so far is worthy of respect: this is a team that finished the 2022 campaign with a 68-94 record.
The Rangers have invested a lot of resources in getting better since the 2021-22 offseason, where they brought in Marcus Semien, Jon Gray, and the player who has been carrying the team this season: Corey Seager.
Seager recently took possession of the league’s lead in OPS, surpassing Shohei Ohtani with his 1.070 mark.
The job is not done in Texas, though.
The Tampa Bay Rays are nine games up in the Wild Card standings and should get that first spot.
The real fight is between the Blue Jays, Rangers, and Seattle Mariners for two spots.
NEXT: Max Scherzer Looked Terrible Against A Rival
