The Historic Moment That Changed the Texas Rangers 15 Years Ago

After a tremendous regular season, Texas carried it over into October. They defeated the Tampa Bay Rays to win their first playoff series in franchise history.

Then, they faced the juggernaut New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series. Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, and Alex Rodriguez made for one of the best trios in baseball.

The Rangers had their own accolades to boast. Hamilton hit 32 long balls with 100 RBIs and a ridiculous .359 batting average en route to the AL MVP. Neftali Feliz was named the AL Rookie of the Year and set a rookie record with 40 saves.

But how would they stack up with the mighty Bronx Bombers? The Yankees took game one with a 6-5 win. However, the Rangers bats woke up.

They ran away with three straight wins as the offense combined for 25 runs to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. They had the Yankees on their heels. New York would respond with a game five victory.

In front of the home crowd, the Ranger faithful could smell their first World Series appearance. Colby Lewis got the start and was provided with early insurance with a 1-0 lead.

With the game tied at one in the bottom of the fifth, Vladimir Guerrero smoked a two-RBI double followed by a Nelson Cruz home run and just like that, Texas led 5-1.

In the bottom of the ninth, it was the rookie Feliz versus the former Ranger Alex Rodriguez. On a 1-2 pitch, Feliz went with the breaking ball and caught A-Rod looking. Feliz ran to his catcher Bengie Molina and embraced.

Rangers fans went into pandemonium and celebrated like it was 38 years in the making. Manager Ron Washington turned this squad into a perennial contender. Unfortunately, it didn't result in a World Series title as they lost to the San Francisco Giants.

The 2010 run put the Rangers on the map. It laid the groundwork for success in the decade. Multiple division titles and AL pennants eventually led to their first championship in 2023.

Everyone will talk about the 2023 team and rightfully so. They accomplished something that no Rangers team had ever done. However, it's hard not to argue how special that 2010 team was, and gave Texas fans something they yearned for their whole lives.