ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers were up-and-down in the back half of the season, but what lifted them up has recently come to light, and it's not surprising the phenomenon it has struck with the fanbase.
Before Game 2 of the ALDS, Texas pitcher Andrew Heaney revealed to the Rangers play-by-play voice Jared Sandler that throughout the second half of the season, they started playing Creed songs before games. The team's credence in Creed jams apparently helped them get through the rough patches, and it has become a phenomenon among the Rangers fanbase.
Sports fans in DFW are no stranger to a Creed crossover – with arguably one of the most viral and iconic halftime shows ever performed. During a performance of "Higher" at the Thanksgiving Cowboys game in 2001, an aerialist draped in white sheets flew across Texas Stadium.
So, naturally, the DFW sports scene naturally took this and ran with it. Before the day was even over, Matt Hicks integrated Creed into the call of Mitch Garver's grand slam.
Rangers rookie Evan Carter, who wasn't even born yet when Creed released its biggest hits in 1999 and 2001 (he was born in 2002), told Sandler he had heard of Creed before, but has become more familiar of the band as of late. He said his favorite song is "One Last Breath." Carter added the team has even played Creed on the bus rides, and they have handshakes tied to Creed songs.
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy wasn't in the target demographic, either.
"I don't know a lot of their songs, to be honest," said Bochy on Monday. "I do know we're playing a lot of Creed, that's not in my lane, to be honest."
Creed has caught wind of the Rangers' affinity for their classics and wished them well online.
"Let's go Rangers, let's go!," the band posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Heaney also told Sandler that if Creed songs were played at Globe Life Field on Tuesday (Game 3), and fans started belting the song, it would fire the team up! Chris Statzer, the Texas Rangers music director and official DJ, already shared a screenshot that Creed is loaded and ready to go.
"If that's not the most Texas Rangers thing, I don't know what is," Statzer, who goes by DJ CStatz, told WFAA. "It's always - for lack of a better word - the weirder things that make everything click. That's what it's all about, man: having fun and enjoying the game of baseball."
Statzer said he wouldn't play Creed every inning, but guaranteed there would be at least one opportunity for Rangers fans to sing along with the post-grunge band during Tuesday's game. He noted the stadium DJs have been "sneaking Creed in for years."
Rangers fans didn't disappoint, either. The time came ... and fans belted to the ballads. Creed played throughout Globe Life Field and they showed fans on the video board between innings. WFAA's Mike Leslie caught it all on camera:
Texas completed the three-game sweep of the Orioles Tuesday night and now await the winner of the Houston Astros and Minnesota Twins. Houston leads the series, 2-1.
But as Texas waits to see who they'll play in the ALCS, it's Rock-tober, time.
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