Overview
- The Rangers lost 6-4 to the Minnesota Twins in Game 162 on Sunday while Houston beat Oakland 9-0, leaving Texas 80-82 and the Astros 81-81 and handing Houston the division.
- Texas finished the year 35-46 on the road and roughly .500 against losing teams, a pattern that left them dependent on a perfect final day to reach the postseason.
- Key absences and health problems hurt the offense as Josh Jung and Joc Pederson were unavailable for the finale and Corey Seager missed time during the year and may have a minor offseason procedure for a bone spur.
- Starting pitching faltered late and the bullpen entered the finale with a roughly 4.44 ERA, with prized acquisition MacKenzie Gore showing fatigue in the season’s final weeks.
- Club leaders signaled accountability and a roster reset: manager Skip Schumaker accepted responsibility while president of baseball operations Chris Young said the team needs to get younger and more athletic as it begins an offseason of evaluations.