The Texas Rangers lost out on winning an AL West title they had a firm grip on but they are going back to the postseason for the first time since 2016. General manager Chris Young is proud of his team, even if they dropped too many games they should have won and allowed the Houston Astros to usurp them for the division title, their third straight and sixth in seven years.
The Rangers talked a big game when they were leading the Astros in the standings throughout the season. So, Houston wasted no time taking jabs at the Rangers for squandering the division title and first-round bye in the 2023 playoffs.
Brian McTaggart, who overs the Astros for MLB.com, got in on the fun, too. He said on Twitter (or X, whatever) that Texas' celebration cost them while Houston did it the right way.
“The Rangers partied last night while the Astros had a champagne toast and quickly turned their attention to Sunday and one more win. Houston's “been-there, done-that” mentality paid off, it seems,” tweeted McTaggart.
By all accounts, the Rangers celebrated their playoff berth like most teams do: popping champagne in the clubhouse. It's an achievement worth celebrating. Inferring that Texas' celebration made them lose and that Houston did it the right way is a classic case of an old man shaking his fist at a cloud. Sure, it looks funny now, but Texas had every right to celebrate getting back into the playoffs.
Young was not pleased with the veteran reporter making the celebration a big talking point and expressed his discontent in an interview on 105.3 The Fan.
“It's pretty poor journalism to even suggest that, honestly,” the Rangers GM said. “I'm very disappointed in the lack of professionalism of the Houston journalist for putting that out there. It's classless and it's not appropriate and it's completely fabricated. It's wrong.”
Young said that this Rangers team is “the most professional, responsible group of players that I've ever been around” and that celebration of the playoff-clinching was a “subdued” affair that didn’t impact the loss. Texas has some extra motivation to beat its division rival if their postseason paths cross.
The Rangers and Astros will only see each other again in the ALC, as Texas will face the Baltimore Orioles if they win their Wild Card round over the Tampa Bay Rays. Houston's divisional series will match them up with either the Minnesota Twins or Toronto Blue Jays.