Bruce Bochy refutes commitment issues after Rangers surrender AL West title to Astros - "It's obvious that we wanted to win"

Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy expressed his disappointment after losing Sunday's game against the Seattle Mariners to give up top spot in the AL West. The Rangers were shut out 1-0 on the night by the Mariners which meant the Astros finished ahead of them while they had to settle for a Wild Card spot. Both Rangers and Astros finished the regular season with an identical 90-72 record. However, Astros had won the season series against the Rangers, thereby handing them the tiebreaker and the division title.

Bochy knows they have only themselves to blame as they gave up a position of strength after succumbing to a crucial loss at the end of the season. Bochy's Rangers started very well this season, his first year as manager of the team. They were one of the surprises of the season in the early months, putting together a string of impressive results that saw them become of the best teams in the AL. However, they have now lost a crucial game in the final day of the regular, giving up top spot in the division to the Astros and having to settle for a Wild Card spot.

Speaking to the media after the game, Bochy said:

“It's obvious that we wanted to win this game. But we didn’t, so it's going to be up to us."

Who do Bruce Bochy's Rangers face next?

Going into Sunday's final game of the regular MLB season, Bruce Bochy and the Texas Rangers knew very well that they were already into the postseason, but needed a final win to cement their place in the Division Series. Unfortunately, they were shut out by George Kirby and the rest of the Seattle Mariners bullpen while the Houston Astros recorded a 8-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Hence the Rangers will now face the Tampa Bay Rays in a Wild Card series over the coming week, having added an extra round of games to their schedule due to Sunday's defeat.