The 5 best seasons in Rangers history

The Rangers are a relatively young organization since relocating from Washington to Arlington in 1972, and no Rangers team has hoisted the Commissioner's Trophy just yet. Texas doesn’t have the storied history of the Yankees or Cardinals, but it has managed to put together some great teams.

From back-to-back American League pennants in 2010-11 to seven AL West titles and everything in between, here are the five best seasons in Texas Rangers history.

1. 2011 -- 96-66, won AL pennant

This was the best team in Rangers history. They were loaded at every position -- Michael Young was the utility infielder -- and their top five starting pitchers combined for 73 wins and started all but five of the team's games that year. They won the division for the second straight season, finishing 10 games ahead of the Angels. Texas beat the Rays in four games in the AL Division Series and the Tigers in six games in the AL Championship Series. But they lost in seven games to the Cardinals in the World Series, which is remembered most for what happened in Game 6. This team, unfortunately, will be known as the one that was “one strike away.”

2. 1999 -- 95-67, won AL West

The Rangers won three division titles in four years from 1996-99 under manager Johnny Oates, and this was the best squad of the bunch. Ivan Rodriguez was the American League MVP and Juan Gonzalez, Rusty Greer, Rafael Palmeiro, Tom Goodwin and Mark McLemore were part of a formidable lineup. Aaron Sele and Rick Helling led the rotation and John Wetteland and Jeff Zimmerman were All-Stars at the back of the bullpen. Unfortunately, for the second straight year, the Rangers were swept by the Yankees in the ALDS, scoring just one run in three games. Oates and general manager Doug Melvin assembled outstanding teams in Arlington but kept running into one of baseball’s all-time dynasties in the Yankees.

3. 2016 -- 95-67, won AL West

This was a good team made better by midseason trades for catcher Jonathan Lucroy and designated hitter Carlos Beltran. A midseason return by Yu Darvish from Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery also helped, but this club probably wasn’t as talented as 95 wins suggests. The pitching wasn’t as deep as it needed to be and they were swept by the Blue Jays in the ALDS. A 10-1 loss in Game 1 with Cole Hamels on the mound was a huge setback.

4. 1977 -- 94-68

This team was led by four different managers -- Frank Lucchesi, Eddie Stanky, Connie Ryan and Billy Hunter -- and almost won the first division title in club history. They were 31-31 when Lucchesi was dismissed and 34-35 when Hunter took over on June 27. Then the Rangers went 60-33 under the former Orioles third-base coach. They briefly took the lead in August but felt victim to the Royals under Whitey Herzog. The Royals -- two games out on Aug. 16 -- won 38 of their last 47 to win the division by eight games. The Texas rotation was led by Hall of Famers Gaylord Perry and Bert Blyleven, but the Rangers weren’t quite as strong in the bullpen.

5. 2012 -- 93-69, earned AL Wild Card

The Rangers walked off with a 5-4 victory over the Athletics on Sept. 24 and had a five-game lead with eight to play. Their mission was clear: finish the season with the best record and have home-field advantage for the postseason. Instead, they lost seven of nine. They needed to win one game in the final three-game series against the Athletics to clinch the division. They got swept in Oakland. Instead of home-field advantage in the postseason, they hosted the Orioles in the Wild Card Game and lost. As Oakland president Billy Beane said, the Rangers were the best team in baseball all year until the final week of the season.