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Rangers Starting To Realize Their Playoff Dreams Are Over

Originally posted on Texas Rangers on SI | By Brad Wakai | Last updated Sep 18, 2025 2:30 PM ET

The Texas Rangers were swept by the Houston Astros in a series they could not afford to lose.

While many people had already counted the Rangers out when it came to their playoff chances, the red-hot stretch they put together even without multiple star players had them right on the doorstep of earning a Wild Card spot and even winning the division.

But things came crashing down against their in-state rivals, with the Astros once again reigning supreme in the state of Texas by claiming the Silver Boot Series trophy for the ninth straight year. Even the internal confidence of the Rangers has started to flame out after this result, with many in the clubhouse now internalizing the fact they won't make the playoffs.

Rangers Now Face Long Odds To Make Playoffs

It's hard to blame anyone for feeling that way. The deflating sweep now has Texas five games out of first place in the AL West and 4.5 out of the final Wild Card spot, a borderline impossible hill to climb with just nine games remaining in the regular season.

"I don't really know exactly where we stand but I'm sure we probably have to win pretty much every game," Wyatt Langford said, per Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News (subscription required).

That pretty much is the case for the Rangers now. FanGraphs is not bullish on their chances to pull off a magical feat, with their odds to make the playoffs now sitting at 3.6% with them being given a 0% chance to still win the division.

"We know our backs are to the wall," manager Bruce Bochy said. "That's how we have to look at it."

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— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) September 18, 2025

They might not be willing to say it, but they know they are going to miss the playoffs. The matchup against the Astros was really their last chance to insert themselves into the race for the final stages of the season, and they were unable to take one game out of that set.

"We kind of have to play perfect on the way out just to have a fighting chance," Joc Pederson said. "It is what it is. We've got to move forward and learn from it. It sucks."

The Rangers are now one the brink. If they aren't able to win four of their remaining nine games, they will be officially eliminated. And even if they do play perfect and win all of them, they will need help from other teams after once being in a position to control their own destiny.

"The Red Sox would need to go 5-5 or worse for the Rangers to finish above them in that instance. The Mariners would need to go 4-6 or worse for the Rangers to finish above them. The Guardians would need to finish 8-3 or worse and lose one of the three games that they'll play vs. the Rangers to avoid any tiebreaker drama on that front. The Rangers need to finish above at least two of those three teams," explained McFarland.

Barring something unforeseen, the Rangers will miss the playoffs for the second year in a row after winning the 2023 World Series.