Texas Rangers

The Rangers began as the second iteration of the Washington Senators, an expansion franchise that entered the American League in 1961. After a decade of losing in Washington, the team was relocated to the Dallas-Fort Worth area in 1972 and renamed the Rangers. The franchise played at Arlington Stadium, a converted minor league park that served as their home until 1994.

The early Texas years were defined by colorful characters and competitive frustration. Manager Billy Martin brought intensity and a brief burst of contention in the mid-1970s, and the franchise developed solid players like Toby Harrah and Jeff Burroughs (the 1974 AL MVP). But consistent winning remained elusive.

Nolan Ryan's arrival in 1989 gave the franchise its most iconic figure. Ryan was 42 years old but still throwing with devastating velocity, and he threw two of his record seven career no-hitters as a Ranger. His presence brought credibility and national attention to a franchise that had long been overshadowed in the Texas sports landscape.

Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez emerged in the 1990s as the best catcher in baseball, winning 10 Gold Glove Awards and the 1999 AL MVP. Juan Gonzalez added prodigious power, winning two MVP awards of his own. The Rangers made the playoffs three times in four years (1996, 1998, 1999) but were swept in the first round each time, beginning the franchise's reputation for postseason futility.

The Ballpark in Arlington (now Globe Life Field's predecessor) opened in 1994, giving the Rangers a baseball-specific venue. Alex Rodriguez's record $252 million contract with the Rangers in 2000 was the most expensive in sports history, but the team couldn't build a winner around him and he was traded to the Yankees after three seasons.

The Rangers' inability to translate regular season success and star power into postseason advancement became the franchise's defining frustration. For 38 years, from 1972 through 2009, the Rangers didn't win a single postseason series.

The 2010 Rangers broke through in spectacular fashion, defeating the Rays and Yankees to win the franchise's first pennant. The celebration was cathartic after decades of postseason failure. Although they lost the World Series to the Giants in five games, the pennant represented a breakthrough moment for the organization.

The 2011 team was even better, winning 96 games and reaching the World Series again. This time, they came within one strike of winning the championship - twice - in Game 6 against the Cardinals, only to see David Freese's heroics deny them. The Game 6 loss is one of the most heartbreaking in baseball history and added another chapter to the franchise's painful postseason narrative.

The Rangers won the AL West again in 2015 and 2016 under Jeff Banister but were eliminated in the ALDS both times. The franchise had proven it could reach the biggest stage but couldn't quite claim the ultimate prize.