Rangers bask in glory of first title parade in franchise history?

ARLINGTON -- Corey Seager is a man of few words, often preferring to let his bat do the talking. But even Seager can’t help but celebrate when the time comes. As the Rangers stood on the stage placed in the middle of the North Plaza at Globe Life Field to celebrate the first World Series in franchise history, Seager had just one thing to say.

“Everybody was wondering what would happen if the Rangers didn’t win the World Series,” Seager said, loading up a response weeks in the making. “I guess we’ll never know.”

An estimated 500,000 to 700,000 fans gathered in the Arlington Entertainment District to celebrate the Rangers’ first World Series with a parade and pep rally, which concluded with Seager’s mic drop.

It was the first World Series celebration for many players on the squad, including Seager, who was also named MVP in 2020 with the Dodgers. They were unable to celebrate in Los Angeles due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Texas coaches and players made sure to cherish the moment, piling into individual trucks and traversing the plaza to the sound of screaming fans.

“Once we get outside I'm sure it’ll hit us,” second baseman Marcus Semien said before the parade. “Just to see all the fans, we’re excited for the millions of fans that showed up this year and for them to celebrate with us. To see everybody supporting us will be very special.”

It was far from the first for manager Bruce Bochy, who secured his fourth title. His first three came with the Giants, who had also not won a title in San Francisco until Bochy’s arrival.

Seager said following Game 5 of the World Series, when the Rangers clinched with a decisive 5-0 victory over the Diamondbacks at Chase Field, that being part of the first championship team in franchise history meant so much to him. He wanted to build something from the ground up with Texas.

“My hope is that this is just a great step toward a much more interested and passionate baseball fan base here,” Bochy said, adding on to Seager's statement. “And it’s not that they didn't have it before, but when we have a lot of losing seasons, it's difficult for the fans. So our job is to continue this winning. It's great to win this championship but we don't want the city to go that much longer without another one.”

The World Series may have meant more for general manager Chris Young than anybody else. The former big league pitcher and Dallas native took on a job in the Rangers’ front office with a single mission: Bring winning baseball back to the Metroplex.

Young was in the midst of his 13-year MLB career during the organization’s best years with back-to-back American League pennants in 2010-11. Now, he’s delivered the very first title in Rangers history. And hopefully, Young emphasized, not the last.

With a Hall of Fame manager at the helm, it’s hard not to imagine more, even for the Rangers’ youngest fans.

After the parade, Bochy’s granddaughter looked at him and said, “Papa, I wanna do that again.”

“I'm with her,” Bochy said, slamming his hand on the lecturn. “I wanna do this again! Let’s go!”