When Nelson Cruz couldn't make that play in right field that we all see in our nightmares back in 2011 at Busch Stadium, the Texas Rangers would have to wait one more day to win their first World Series in franchise history.
Of course, that next game they ran into Chris Carpenter and the rest was history as the Rangers had an epic collapse to lose the 2011 World Series in seven games after being one strike away from a world title twice in Game 6.
Many people said the window had closed then, and especially after the 2012 season when the Rangers saw the A's go on a ridiculous run in September to catch them and win the AL West before the Rangers fell in the AL Wild Card Game. That, of course, was the last game Josh Hamilton, Mike Napoli and Michael Young played for the Rangers.
Last season was expected to bring a lot of uncertainties with some unproven commodities, and it showed at times, but the Rangers' window appears to still be open with some promising young players making an impact in 2013.
"It’s been a tremendous run,” Rangers general manager Jon Daniels told the Star-Telegram back on Oct. 3 at Rangers Ballpark. “We’re in the middle of what we feel is a tremendous run.”
The Rangers' rotation is the best it's ever been, even if Matt Garza moves on after his half-season in Texas as a rental. Yu Darvish, Derek Holland, Matt Harrison, Martin Perez and Alexi Ogando is a pretty solid rotation you'll gladly go to battle with.
Leonys Martin's emergence this season was promising, and Jurickson Profar, still not old enough to legally drink alcohol, showed flashes of brilliance. He'll either be a key part of the Rangers' lineup in 2014 or he'll bring one via trade, that's left to be seen.
Sports Connection
Connecting you to your favorite North Texas sports teams as well as sports news around the globe.
Tanner Scheppers emerged as a legitimate closer candidate, and Joakim Soria should be back at 100 percent after coming back from Tommy John a couple of months into the 2013 season.
There are a lot of pieces in place for the Rangers to finally break through and win a World Series, it's just up to Daniels and the team's ownership to supplement it.
