Two years ago today, the Rangers went up to Toronto and, though outhit by the Blue Jays, capitalized often and put five runs on David Price’s ledger, winning their ALDS opener, 5–3.
A year ago today, I wrote about Texas dropping its second straight ALDS game at home in a Best-of-Five against those same Blue Jays, in starts by Cole Hamels and Yu Darvish, on the heels of leading the league in regular season wins.
Both were better than writing, three years ago today, about Baseball America’s High A Carolina League prospect rankings, or about writing today about what I wrote about one and two and three years ago.
Crushing playoff losses are better than 162 without the +.
That 2014 entry was at the beginning of a book, rather than toward the end, and that’s where this one lands as well.
I was just editing the book whose daily entries are now done, and I was working on the late July section, when Yu Darvish was possibly going to be traded, then was, and when Adrian Beltre was zeroing in on nailing down history, and did.
Today, Darvish is slated to start the Dodgers’ next game, looking to help them sweep Arizona in the NLDS. It will be his third playoff appearance — and his first since the one I wrote about a year ago today.
Today, Beltre is watching playoff baseball and maybe a little NFL football, with the rest of us.
Seven years ago today, the Rangers spent an off-day at home, having gone up two games to none in St. Petersburg in their first playoff series in 11 years.
Six years ago today, C.J. Wilson and four Rangers relievers beat Justin Verlander’s Tigers in Game One of the ALCS, 3–2.
Those were really good October 8’s.
As was the one when Texas found itself shockingly down a pair of ALDS games to Toronto, a year ago, all things considered.
I’d rather be thinking about how steep a hill it was, going on the road and needing two wins to extend the series and the season, than about how quietly exciting this organization’s growing stable of center fielders and catchers is, especially in the lower half of the system.
Don’t get me wrong: I’m fired up about that.
But it’s not playoff baseball, and I’m already imagining next October 8, which should stage the third or fourth game of the ALDS, and hopefully a Rangers season that hasn’t yet ended.
And the back of a book, rather than the start.
Dallas attorney Jamey Newberg has been commenting on Rangers from the big club down through the entire farm system since 1998.
Scott Lucas was born in Arlington, Texas, to Richard and Becky Lucas. He lived mostly in Arlington before moving to Austin, where he graduated from The University of Texas. Scott works for Austin Valuation Consultants, Ltd., and has published several boring articles about real estate appraisal and environmental contamination. He makes a swell margarita and refuses to run longer than ten kilometres.
Eleanor grew up watching the AAA Mudhens in Toledo, Ohio. A loyal Ranger fan since 1979, she works "behind the scenes" at the Newberg Report.
