Maybe Rangers fans will miss Joe Maddon

The Chicago Cubs are about to make some news by hiring former Tampa Bay Rays Joe Maddon.  Nothing official has been announced by the Cubs, probably because the World Series isn’t wrapped up yet, but many outlets have reported it.

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Now that Maddon has left Tampa, what kind of impact will that have on the Texas Rangers?  The Rangers only play the Tampa Bays Rays 6 to 9 times each season, 3 at home and 3 games away.

For the most part the Rays and Maddon are not a huge impact to the Rangers, but they have had a lot of postseason history since 2010.  The Rangers played the Rays in ALDS in 2010 and 2011.

In 2010 the Rangers won the series in 5 games and in 2011 the Rangers lost game one and one the next 3 in a row to advance to the World Series.  Both the 2010 and the 2011 Rays teams were very good and Joe Maddon did all he could to beat the Rangers.  The lose against the Rangers wasn’t on him, but more of the fact the Rangers were just that good those 2 years.

The Tampa Bay Rays and the Texas Rangers finished tied for a play off spot in 2013, which forced a game 163.  The Rangers were in first place for a majority of the 2013 season, but the month of September they couldn’t find the win column until the last part of the month.  That was enough for them to fall from first place, and out of the wild card hunt.  The gutsy 2013 Rangers managed to put together a 7-game winning streak to meet the Rays in game 163.

Things seems to tip in the Rangers favor with their past playoff history, but Joe Maddon put David Price on the mound and from there it was over.  The Rays beat the Rangers and killed the Rangers playoff streak.

The Rangers won’t be impacted much by Maddon’s departure or by him being in Chicago, but what’s going on in Tampa will definitely shake up things in the American League East, which could impact the Rangers if they reach the playoffs again.  It’s always tough to beat the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.   Madden will be a good fit with the Chicago Cubs, hopefully he’ll do well there and find the same success her found in Tampa Bay.

Note: Since 2006,while Joe Maddon was the manager of the Rays, the Rangers had a record of 36-37 against them.