Rangers History Today: Back-to-Back AL West Champs ... Again

On this date in franchise history, the Texas Rangers clinched their second straight American League West championship, and the fifth in their history.

On September 23, 2011, the Rangers defeated the Seattle Mariners at home, 5-3, whittling their magic number to clinch the AL West crown to just one Rangers win or one Angels loss. The Rangers’ defense of their 2010 AL West title was nearly complete. The Rangers had to wait.

Their fans decided to wait, too.

The Angels were playing on the west coast against the Oakland Athletics. Sensing the hope of a party, the Rangers kept The Ballpark open and the fans stuck around to watch the game on the big screen. A reported 12,000 stuck around, and when the A’s finished the deal with a 3-1 win, the fans celebrated. And the Rangers, still in the park after their win over Seattle, joined them on the field.

Of course, the heavy lifting wasn’t over just yet. Yes, the Rangers had won the division, but they were hoping to get back to the World Series for the second straight year. Next up? The Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Division Series.

This the second time the Rangers had won back-to-back division titles. They first pulled it off in 1998-1999, part of the teams in the late 90s that won three AL West crowns in four years.

Also on this date …

September 23, 1992: Kevin Brown became just the second 20-game winner in Rangers history, as he authored a 5-3 win over Minnesota at Arlington Stadium.

September 3, 2000: Rafael Palmeiro hit his 400th career home run, becoming the 32nd player in Major League history to hit at least 400 home runs.

September 23, 2013: Alex Rios hit for the cycle.

Sept. 23, 2016: The Rangers defeated the Oakland Athletics, 3-0, to win their seventh American League West title.

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