The Texas Rangers are hyping themselves up with Creed
The Texas Rangers were a very good team this season, posting a 90-72 record, but the journey there wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. Through these playoffs, the team has found an unlikely source of musical inspiration.
After a hot first half, the Rangers cooled off. Injuries to key players like Jacob deGrom, Jon Gray, and Max Scherzer had the Rangers tailing off. They almost lost out on a postseason spot to the Seattle Mariners. What secret did the Rangers unlock to win eight of their last twelve games and secure a postseason bid? Apparently, Creed.
The Rangers have been playing Creed in the clubhouse as their pump-up music before games and Andrew Heaney says he wants Creed played at the ballpark this series, per @JaredSandler pic.twitter.com/ICJnoG1x1N
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) October 9, 2023
You heard that, right? The legends are true. Creed can, in fact, take you higher.
The Rangers did not have a great second half, but Andrew Heaney says that the rock band Creed is what kept them from falling behind in the standings, amping the team up before home games, even going as far as wanting it played at the Rangers home ballpark, Globe Life Field, during the ALDS.
Did Creed really help the Rangers?
While we are not exactly sure when the Rangers started unlocking Creed's mythical powers, Heaney did express that the Rangers didn't start listening to Creed until at least the second half of the season. He also expressed that fans at Globe Life Field would sing along to Creed before the games and that always upped the team's energy. So, with that said, what was the Rangers home record in the second half?
23-13 (.639), which would have been the fourth-best home record in MLB if spread out over the course of the whole season. Only the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Baltimore Orioles would have had better records at home over the whole season.
In the first half, the Rangers' home record was 27-18 (.600) though. That may not sound like much, but that difference in win percentage (.039) is bigger than the difference between the Arizona Diamondbacks (currently up 1-0 on the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS) and the Boston Red Sox (missed the playoffs, finished last in their division).
Why Creed?
Why is the sky blue? Why do frogs croak? Why should we judge these remarkable athletes? Sure, Creed has a stigma around them among the elitists of music, trying to gatekeep enjoyment and vibes from the rest of us, but they've also won four AMA's, nine Billboard Music Awards, and a People's Choice Award. Have you? No, you just have a Spotify playlist titled "Vibes" that you claim is nine hours of the best music on the planet? Then what reason do you have to judge what Adolis Garcia, Marcus Semien, and Nathan Eovaldi jam out to?
Will we hear Creed played during the ALDS?
Almost definitely. The Rangers' next home game is scheduled for Oct. 10, at 8:03 p.m. ET/5:03 p.m. PT. They lead their American League division series 2-0 over the Baltimore Orioles. Seeing as the series is a best-of-five, nothing would get the Rangers more excited to win in front of their fans than blaring Creed to the crowd and listening to them sing along to every word.
Heaney made it very clear that the Rangers love to listen to Creed, so if the team does not play any of their music before the game, they've failed at their jobs and I wouldn't be shocked if the Orioles rattled off three consecutive wins. That's what the Rangers would deserve.
ALDS: Twins-Astros coverage
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Creed is taking the 2023 Texas Rangers higher in the MLB playoffs
