Friday, September 25

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ARLINGTON -- “Never Say Never,” the 2011 hit song by Justin Bieber and Jaden Smith, played between innings at Globe Life Field during the Rangers’ home finale on Thursday afternoon. 

However unintentional the song choice may have been, it’s a fitting theme for Texas’ last week of the regular season. “Never say never” is just about how this past month has felt for the club’s postseason chances. 

And you know what? There is still a chance to see October, despite the Rangers sitting a game below .500 after a 3-1 win over the Mets on Thursday afternoon. Texas enters the final weekend of the season tied with Houston atop the AL West standings, though the Astros have the tiebreaker thanks to winning the season series over the Rangers.  

On Monday’s shared off-day between the Rangers and Astros, Texas was a game up in the American League West. The two intra-state rivals have since pulled even at 79-80 in what will ultimately be one of the worst division winners in baseball history. 

No team has ever won their division with a losing record. The worst division winners have been the 2005 Padres (82-80), the 1973 Mets (82-79) and the 2006 Cardinals (83-78). The winner of this year’s AL West can have no more than 82 wins, but that club could limp in at 81 or below.  

The AL West’s combined -465 run differential entering Friday would be the second-lowest since divisions began in 1969, second only to the 2005 NL West (-490). The .440 combined winning percentage entering Friday would be the third lowest in a full season, behind just the AL Central in 2018 (.436) and 2023 (.442).

Regardless of the record or the division, the postseason is the postseason.  

“We still have a shot, and that's all you want,” manager Skip Schumaker said Thursday morning. “There's still a pulse. As long as we still have a pulse, we're good to go, and we have that. These guys felt that, as well. That's the fun part about where we're at right now. If you have the ability to be in this position, to be locked in, is still fun.”  

Here’s a quick look at how things shake out for Texas' final series of the 2026 season: 

Rangers final three @ Twins: 

• Friday, Sept. 25: Jacob deGrom (11-10, 3.86 ERA) vs. RHP Joe Ryan (6-10, 3.83 ERA) 

• Saturday, Sept. 26: TBA vs. RHP Bailey Ober (7-6, 4.21 ERA) 

• Sunday, Sept. 27: TBA vs. RHP Dean Kremer (4-5, 4.97 ERA) 

The Astros have three more games in West Sacramento vs. the A's, though none of their starters had been announced as of Thursday night.

The Rangers have, fittingly, hovered right around .500 all season long. They’ve never been more than three games over, and though they’ve gotten as far as six games below. 500, it wasn’t for long. But due to the strength -- or lack thereof -- of the division, they’ve also never been more than three games up or three games back of first place in the AL West.  

Texas has spent 54 days in first place, including at the end of Wednesday night, when they were again tied with the Astros atop the table.  

The Rangers will need to win out in order to finish with a winning record for just the second time since 2016, which was also their last division title.  

They just need to win one more game than the Astros to get into the dance.  

“There's still a pulse,” Schumacher said. “… But we have to win. That's the other part of this thing. I said that last night, if we don't win, it doesn't matter. The scoreboard watching is more fun when you win.” 

The Rangers and Mets met in Arlington this weekend, marking the first time Brandon Nimmo and Marcus Semien would face off against their former teams.  

Semien was a two-time All-Star second baseman with Texas, where he signed a seven-year, $175 million deal entering the 2022 season. He helped the team to its first World Series championship in franchise history in 2023.  

“It’s the same drive I've been making for the last four years,” Semien said in the visitor’s clubhouse at Globe Life Field. “There’s a lot of memories, a lot of reminiscing. I really think about 2023. 2023 was the pinnacle of my baseball career. … It's a place that's special. Every time we're in the community, there's always Rangers fans because we still live here. It's always especially fun to play here, even though I'm an opponent now. Bittersweet.” 

Nimmo spent the first 10 years of his career with the Mets before approving the trade to Texas this offseason. 

“We're in a playoff race, so I’m just focusing on winning one game at a time,” Nimmo said. “Everybody's been really great here, helping me to get my feet underneath me early in the season. It's been a good transition. And we're trying to make the playoffs, that's what I wanted to do. For me right now, we're in a spot where we’re trying to make something happen here at the end of the year.” 

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