SEATTLE — The drought is officially over.
The Texas Rangers (90-71) have clinched their first playoff appearance since 2016 with a 6-1 win over the Seattle Mariners on Saturday night at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.
An early surge of offense and a clutch pitching performance from a short-handed staff led the Rangers to the win Saturday night.
The Rangers needed one win in their four-game series against the Mariners to clinch at least a Wild Card playoff spot. They needed two wins, or a win and an Astros loss, to win the American League West division.
The Astros beat the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday night. Texas can still clinch the American League West with a win over Seattle in the season finale Sunday afternoon, or if Houston loses Sunday in Arizona.
Dane Dunning will get the start on the mound for Texas on Sunday against the Mariners, the team announced Saturday night.
If the Rangers clinch only a Wild Card spot, they'll likely play the Minnesota Twins in a best-of-three series in Minnesota beginning Tuesday. If they clinch the American League West, they'll play the winner of the Twins series beginning Saturday, Oct. 7, at Globe Life Field in Arlington.
Texas entered Saturday having dropped the first two games of the series against the Mariners. But after leaving runners on base early in the game, the Rangers broke through with a single from Nathaniel Lowe in the third inning to go up 1-0.
Jonah Heim then followed with a two-run single, and Leody Taveras followed with a one-run single of his own.
In the fourth, Heim walked with the bases loaded to score Corey Seager and give Texas a 5-0 lead.
Andrew Heaney made the spot start on the mound for the Rangers, who had planned to start Jon Gray before Gray's injury earlier this week landed him on the 15-day Injured List.
Heaney held his own, going 4.1 scoreless innings. Josh Sborz relieved Heaney with the bases loaded in the fifth and was able to get a pop-up and a groundout to get out of the jam.
Texas added a sixth run in the eighth inning on a double from Marcus Semien, who scored Evan Carter from first base.
The Mariners added a homer in the bottom of the eighth, but reliever Jose Leclerc came on to secure the final four outs of the game.
Rangers celebrate
Bally Sports Southwest was inside the Rangers' clubhouse for the postgame celebration. There was apparently plenty of champagne to go around:
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