ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Marcus Semien was informed earlier than he noticed his first World Sequence ring how good it was going to be.
“They weren’t mendacity in any respect,” stated the Texas Rangers‘ All-Star second baseman.
Two days after unfurling the franchise’s first championship banner on opening day, the Rangers completed the celebrating by getting their rings in one other pregame ceremony Saturday evening earlier than the second of a three-game opening collection towards the Chicago Cubs.
The numbers of diamonds, sapphires, rubies and different stones cowl a number of serious stats. There’s the proper 11-0 postseason street file, an MLB first, and the 52 factors of diamonds within the phrase “champions” symbolize the seasons the franchise has been in Texas since transferring from Washington.
The stones signifying the street file are contained in the “T” emblem that’s the centerpiece, outlined by 23 crimson rubies for the yr the group received the championship and surrounded by 103 blue sapphires for the mixed variety of victories within the common season and playoffs.
The face of the ring flips to disclose one other “T” emblem, with 49 crimson rubies inside it representing the variety of gamers on the 2023 roster.
Underneath the detachable face is the 11-0 street file with the phrases “street dominance.” Every participant has his final title and quantity on one facet of the ring, together with his signature on the underside of the within of the ring.
Texas swept Tampa Bay in a best-of-three AL wild-card collection earlier than successful twice in Baltimore to start out an AL Division Sequence sweep capped by Texas’ first dwelling victory of the postseason.
The street group received all seven video games when the Rangers beat the defending champion Houston Astros within the AL Championship Sequence. Texas received 3 times in Arizona in a five-game victory over the Diamondbacks to win the World Sequence.
There may be one diamond within the World Sequence trophy to symbolize the primary championship in franchise historical past. The 3mm stone contained in the trophy is to name out the variety of American League championships the Rangers have received.
“The ring tells the story,” Semien stated. “You are taking seems at that ring and each single angle, there’s a narrative to it. The way in which we received the World Sequence, street video games and simply various things that you simply sit again and assume, ‘Oh yeah, we did that, that was true. We did do this.’”
Gamers acquired a sneak peek on the rings at a dinner Friday evening, however that didn’t cease the grins once they took the rings out of the bins after being launched one-by-one by longtime public handle announcer Chuck Morgan.
It wasn’t lengthy earlier than slugging star Adolis García, the ALCS MVP, had the ring on a finger for the cameras because the gamers lined the infield, shortly after Semien was proven with an enormous smile as he held his.
Morgan, who has been with the membership yearly however as soon as since becoming a member of the Rangers in 1983, was the primary to obtain his ring when the membership revealed particulars earlier Saturday.
“There are not any phrases I can describe to get the primary one,” an emotional Morgan stated just a few hours earlier than the ceremony. “There’s so many different those who had been most likely extra worthy than me, nevertheless it’s an enormous, big honor.”
Jason of Beverly Hills designed the ring after CEO Jason Arasheben stated his firm’s bid to design the World Sequence ring was denied for 17 consecutive seasons.
“There was quite a lot of strain when designing this ring, not simply because it was a primary for the Rangers, however as a result of it’s also our very first World Sequence ring,” Arasheben stated whereas noting his firm has now designed championship rings in every of the 4 main professional sports activities within the U.S.
