Twenty-four hours earlier, they'd suffered a devastating defeat in letting a four-run lead slip away in the ninth inning. Suddenly, a lead over the Houston Astros that looked insurmountable was down to one game.
If you doubted that the Rangers would get up, dust themselves off and make a stand of their own, you hadn't been paying attention. This is the team that was eight games under .500 in April. This is the team that was eight games out of first place in August and didn't clear .500 for good until the 115th game of the regular season.