The second half free fall for the Texas Rangers has been extremely dramatic. Unfortunately, it’s not the first time the Rangers have blown a lead.

Texas did lead the division late in the season, but the battle was close; towards the end of August, they held a two-game advantage over Oakland. Oakland took a commanding lead in the division after a tough stretch in September, which caused the lead to vanish, and the Rangers’ aspirations to shift to the race for the wild card.

The Rangers, on the other hand, were so awful in September that they ultimately needed to play the Rays in a tiebreaker game 163 to even have a chance at the final wild card slot. Because Texas lost that game 5-2 and the Rangers missed the playoffs for the first time in years, they will go down in baseball history as one of the most extreme rarities of all time. The Rays would eventually defeat the Red Sox in the ALDS after losing the one-game wild card playoff.

There are some parallels to the 2023 season in this situation, and the 2013 Rangers season also ended slowly and painfully. There is still a ton of baseball yet to be played this season, so it will take some time to determine how closely the seasons will compare. But one thing is certain: it is obvious that Rangers supporters understand the agony of seeing their club falter late in the season better than most.