Ooof! DFW Billboard Proclaiming Texas Rangers AL West Champs Quietly Removed

An advertising agency erroneously unveiled the billboard early Sunday and was taken down when the error was discovered.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Texas Rangers are in the postseason, but not everything has run smoothly for the club in the past two days.

Rangers general manager Chris Young lashed out at Houston media (and perhaps the Astros social media team) for spreading a false narrative that Rangers players extensively celebrated earning a playoff berth after Saturday's win in Seattle.

The Astros' official X account took some thinly veiled shots at the Rangers by posting a message on X, saying "We only celebrate titles."

Fans for both teams have been jawing back and forth all day Monday over the feud.

Meanwhile, at least one billboard in the Dallas area has quietly been taken down after its image proclaiming the Rangers the 2023 AL West Champion was erroneously unveiled Monday morning. Images of the billboard (there might be more than one) have been shared on social media. Miscommunication with the advertising agency led to the mistake and the message was quickly taken down when it was discovered.

There is, of course, some fraught history between the clubs, including some bench-clearing, hit batters, and just a general, deep-rooted rivalry between fans from Houston and fans from Dallas-Fort Worth. All of it has been oozing out on social media as both teams prepare for the postseason. The Rangers (90-72) start their best-of-3 Wild Card series against the Tampa Bay Rays at 2:08 p.m. Tuesday at Tropicana Field, televised on ABC.

The AL West champion Astros (90-72) get to sit back and wait to host the winner of the Blue Jays-Twins Wild Card series in the ALDS on Saturday.

The Rangers and Astros could meet if both teams advance to the ALCS.

If it happens, the state of Texas will be in a tizzy, families will be torn apart, Texans will be forced to ration canned goods and bottled water, and a demilitarized zone may need to be installed in Centerville on I-45. Hold your loved ones tight.

You can follow Stefan Stevenson on Twitter @StefanVersusTex.

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