Page 7 - He Rays News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Two years after losing 102 games, the resilient Texas Rangers are savoring a journey that's transformed them into a playoff team. The Rangers rode a rollercoaster of emotions while losing three of four games at Seattle and letting the AL West division title slip away on the final day of the regular season. Instead of returning home with a first-round playoff bye, Texas was rewarded with a cross-country flight to Florida.

The Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers both looked like they might be the best teams in baseball for significant stretches of a long season in which they now find themselves facing each other in an AL Wild Card Series. The Rays got off to a historic 13-0 start and led the American League East by as many as 6½ games before a horrendous July left them playing catch-up the rest of the season to eventual division champion Baltimore. Texas, meanwhile, is back in the playoffs two years after losing 102 games.

It's the most glorious time of the year for baseball fans.

Backed by Jordan Montgomery’s strong pitching outing and poor Tampa Bay defense, Rangers won opener of best-of-three series.

Jonathan Aranda hit his first career grand slam and drove in six runs, Tampa Bay homered three times to set a single-season team record and the Rays roughed up the Toronto Blue Jays 12-8 on the final day of the regular season Sunday, helping to set up a wild card meeting with the Texas Rangers. Toronto’s loss and Houston’s win at Arizona means the Rays will host the Rangers while the Blue Jays visit Minnesota in the AL wild card series beginning Tuesday.