It took Jon Daniels just sixteen years. But he did it.

He took this Rangers franchise back to square one. Back to the beginning. Back to 100 losses. He delivered it back to where it started, a team so bad it relocated out of embarrassment and apathy.

His 2021 team will lose the second-most games in team history (barring a miracle). It lost the second-most road games in team history.

Second again. Daniels even failed at failing. He wasn’t able to make it all the way to worst ever. Second-worse ever.

But as this final homestand of the season unfolds tonight, with three against the Angels and three more against the Indians (Texas will be the last team the Indians ever play; next year they will be the Guardians), the Rangers limp to the finish line with the worst batting average in all of baseball and the sixth-worst ERA. 

It was a total failure everywhere.

So now the Rangers are back where they started fifty years ago in their first season in Arlington. Firmly anchored to last place. It took them only twenty-four short years to see the playoffs after that first season.

If history repeats itself, that would put the Rangers on track for a post-season appearance in 2045.

See you then.

*****
TODAY’S GAME: