Rangers cheered by thousands at World Series title parade،
ARLINGTON, Texas — Corey Seager took the stage to thunderous chants of “MVP!, MVP!” as the Texas Rangers celebrated the franchise’s first World Series championship Friday.
“Really, it was really special, we appreciate all of your support,” Seager, a two-time World Series MVP, said during the ceremony that followed a two-hour parade along a 2-mile route near the stadium team baseball.
The team said about 500,000 to 700,000 fans attended the parade, the same estimate given to local media by the Arlington Fire Department, which did not immediately return a message from The Associated Press .
Although normally quite stoic, although he had some emphatic displays of emotion during the postseason, Seager took a swing at the Houston Astros, the team that won the AL West title in Texas during the playoffs. of the last day of the regular season. This made the Rangers a wild-card team, and they went on to set an MLB record by winning all 11 of their road games in the postseason.
“I just have one thing to say. You know, everyone was wondering what would happen if the Rangers didn’t win the World Series. I guess we’ll never know,” Seager said, a clear retort to which the Astros are third. Core player Alex Bregman said they would begin their champagne celebration when they clinched the division title.
MVP!
MVP!
MVP! pic.twitter.com/DWdFdBPsbU– Texas Rangers (@Rangers) November 3, 2023
Texas defeated the Astros in the AL Championship Series, with the Rangers winning all four ALCS games played in Houston, including the deciding game in Game 7.
Fans were packed by the dozens in some places during the parade, which took place two days after the Rangers. won the World Series title with a 5-0 road victory in Game 5 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. This came a week after Texas won the series opener at home on an 11th-inning home run by Adolis Garcia after Seager hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning to tie the score.
“Years from now, I will think of this moment and I will cherish the time I spent with [these players]”, manager Bruce Bochy told the crowd. “We talked about it in spring training. We’re going to do something special. Well, guys, we did something here together. THANKS.”
Bochy then shared that his granddaughter, who was with him in the parade, said she wanted to do it again.
“Well, I’m with her. I want to do it again. Let’s do it,” said Bochy, 68, the oldest manager in the majors.
Thanks Bosch! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/5xIs6AxdZg
– Texas Rangers (@Rangers) November 3, 2023
The Rangers won their first championship in their 63rd season as a franchise, which began with the expansion Washington Senators in 1961 before the team moved to Texas in 1972.
García, AL Championship Series MVP Seager and all the Rangers players were on hand for the parade in the entertainment district of Arlington, the city where they play along Interstate 30, halfway between the downtown Fort Worth and downtown Dallas.
Seager was also World Series MVP in 2020 when he played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who won the title in the neutral-site MLB playoffs during the COVID-19 pandemic at Globe Life Field, the Rangers’ retractable roof stadium that opened this season. There was no celebratory parade in Los Angeles that year.
The Rangers returned home to North Texas on Thursday, with All-Star second baseman Marcus Semien coming out first and hoisting the World Series trophy in the air as he stepped off the plane. By then, some fans were already filling spots along the parade route.
After starting on the south side of Globe Life Park, the parade wound past AT&T Stadium, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, and around Mark Holtz Lake, named for the late Rangers broadcaster known for his ” Hello Win Column!” call. The parade then passed by the Rangers’ old ballpark where they played in their only other World Series appearances in 2010 and 2011.
“The Texas Rangers winning the World Series is a five-decade dream come true,” said Arlington Mayor Jim Ross.
This is Bochy’s fourth World Series title. He won three with the San Francisco Giants, the first in 2010 with a decisive result in Game 5 at Texas. Bochy was named coach of the Rangers a year ago, when the team was coming off its sixth straight losing season.
“I’ve been asked, Hey, does it ever get old. It doesn’t get old, trust me,” Bochy said. “No, not when you look at these guys with their deep determination, their resilience and the heart that brought them together, and playing as one to do what they did. These guys put aside their individual action to become [a] collective power to win a world championship here with the Texas Rangers for the first time in our franchise. »
At least six local school districts were closed Friday so students and teachers could join in the celebration. Several high school groups participated in the parade which took place on a perfect day, with clear, sunny conditions and temperatures around 70 degrees.
