With the Texas Rangers' 2013 season long-gone in the rear-view, let's take a look at some of the season's defining moments, both good and bad, in a season that ultimately fell short of the Rangers' expectations.
Moment: Rangers go to St. Louis and exorcise some demons with a three-game sweep of the Cardinals, who at the time, had the best record in baseball.
When/Where: June 21-23, St. Louis
What: The Rangers were fresh off a series win over Oakland that followed a funk and went up to St. Louis to play the owners of the best record in the league. By the time the series was finished, the Rangers were rightful owners of that title. They swept the Cardinals at Busch Stadium, where their dreams were crushed in the 2011 World Series, and one of the goats of that series, Nelson Cruz, had a huge three-game set for Texas with five RBIs in the first two games. The highlight of this series, in retrospect, was the return to the bigs for Martin Perez, who made his second start of the season (and first in a month) and pitched seven innings, allowing two runs on five hits. That started a remarkable run for Perez, who ended the season with 10 wins and earned a healthy extension this offseason.
Next up: Stumble out of the gates
Previous: Yu's near-perfecto, Statement sweep, Walkoff throwout
