Rangers GM Chris Young rebukes Astros reporter over critical comments: "Very disappointed in the lack of professionalism"
The Texas Rangers are celebrating their first trip to the postseason since 2016. The mood has been buoyant, despite missing out on an AL West title they seemed sure to clinch.
The celebrations drew criticism from Brian McTaggart, an Astros beat writer for MLB.com, who tweeted:
“The Rangers partied last night while the Astros had a champagne toast and quickly turned their attention to Sunday and one more win"
However, he did not hold back his applause for the Astros.
"Houston's 'been-there, done-that' mentality paid off, it seems,” McTaggart tweeted.
The comment didn't sit well with Rangers general manager Chris Young, who said in an interview on 105.3 The Fan:
“I'm very disappointed in the lack of professionalism of the Houston journalist."
Defending his team, Young insisted that this Rangers group was the most "professional, responsible" he'd ever managed.
"It's classless, and it's not appropriate and it's completely fabricated" Young added.
He countered McTaggart's implication by saying that the team's celebration was “subdued” and unrelated to their subsequent loss. Further, he said that the team's celebration in the Rangers clubhouse was limited to champagne toasts.
Could the tensions between Texas Rangers and Houston Astros spark a playoff showdown?
The Rangers spent a significant portion of the 2023 season ahead of the Astros but failed to win their division at the last minute. They will look to learn from past mistakes as they prepare for the postseason.
At present, the Rangers will be focused on their wild-card playoff game against the Tampa Bay Rays. There is a division series against the Baltimore Orioles on the horizon if they win. Meanwhile, the Astros await their divisional series opponent, which will be either the Twins or the Blue Jays.
Therefore, the earliest point at which the Rangers could face the Astros would be the ALCS.
The exchange between the Astros reporter and Chris Young only intensifies an already fierce rivalry between the two Texas franchises. As both teams set their sights on postseason glory, the stage is set for what could be an electrifying battle.