MLB needs Rangers and Astros rivalry on national stage at this iconic venue

There's nothing stronger in Major League Baseball than a passionate rivalry. The passion, the distaste, the anger, the boos. It's one of the things to love about the game of baseball.

MLB does everything they can to put rivalry matchups on the national stage where the whole league's fanbase can get a glimpse into how intense these matchups can get. In recent years, there's been no better rivalry throughout the league than the one that takes place in the Lone Star State.

First played in 2001, the series has been played 289 times with the Rangers only slightly leading the all-time series 145-142 despite the Astros winning the Silver Boot Trophy the last four seasons. However, the series took the national spotlight in 2023 with a riveting seven game American League Championship Series, which was the franchise's first time ever going head-to-head in the postseason.

Those seven games, ultimately won by the Rangers, were all won by the away teams featured blowout games, career-defining performances and a bench-clearing brawl. It was those seven games that put the Lone Star Series into the minds of baseball fans everywhere and the league should be begging for me.

Lone Star Series meets Field of Dreams

It's been a few seasons since MLB hosted a game in the cornfields of Dyersville, Iowa. From the first meeting between the White Sox and Yankees in 2021, fans have been captured by its beauty and the fact that balls managed to absolutely fly in the Iowan sky.

The league however has only hosted two Field of Dreams games; the inaugural version in 2021 and the following year between the Cubs and Reds. Since those games, the popularity in the Iowan complex has grown causing the owners to expand into a bigger youth baseball facility. Due to that, the site has been under construction since then.

The Silver Boot Series would be a perfect setting for a Field of Dreams comeback when MLB does infact return to the site. There hasn't been another set of teams with as much bad blood and recent postseason history as the in-state/division rivals.

Mixing up neutral-site opponents is best for expansion of game

Major League Baseball is great but let's face it, there specialty games (Little League Classic, Tokyo Series, Rickwood Classic, Speedway Classic, etc) tends to repeat teams every year, always having some iteration of Yankees, Dodgers, Cubs, Reds or other long-time teams.

While the 2025 Rangers and Astros have seen a bit of downtick in offensive production and both sit around .500 in mid-May, they both still have big names that can attract a crowd and television audience.

Houston still has Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez and as of recent, the hottest pitcher in baseball in Hunter Brown. Texas still has Corey Seager and new face Wyatt Langford and two-time Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom. They have the name appeal to make it happen.

The only issue that could be presented is when the Field of Dreams site is ready to welcome MLB back. The league says they want to return but that timeline is up to the construction, which has delayed a handful of times.

If they do get to a point where they can welcome MLB back in 2026 or 2027, both the Rangers and Astros will still have a good amount of their core on the roster. And wouldn't watching deGrom twirl 8 shutout innings and witnessing Seager smack a ball into the cornfield be a majestic way to spend a night?

If MLB wanted to do it right and continually give top-tier teams the chance to shine on a national spotlight, they'd seriously take a look at the rise in popularity of the Lone Star rivalry over the past couple of seasons and welcome them to Iowa with open arms.