Baseball fans, collectors celebrate Texas Rangers World Series championship

Baseball card collector Mike Moynihan never thought he would see the day when his Texas Rangers would celebrate a World Series championship. 

“For my entire life I have loved baseball and, more importantly, I have loved the Texas Rangers and it has been so many years of disappointment, so many years of lackluster performance and finally, finally, after 52 years, the Texas Rangers are World Series champions,” Moynihan said Wednesday night on his Baseball Collector YouTube channel. 

“I am beside myself. I honestly didn’t know if this day would ever happen where I would get to celebrate this.“

 The underdog Rangers won the World Series with a 5-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 5 Wednesday night, capturing the franchise's first World Championship in 52 years. The popular victory set off a wild celebration in Texas and across the sports world. 

The Rangers, who made the playoffs as a wild-card team, rolled through the playoffs, knocking off the AL East champion Orioles and the defending World Series champion Houston Astros before winning four of five games against the NL champion Diamondbacks. 

The victory was celebrated by several former Rangers stars, like Hall of Fame pitcher Fergie Jenkins, who won 93 games in Texas. 

The Rangers are a popular franchise among collectors in the sports collectibles hobby with cards and memorabilia from such legends as Nolan Ryan in high demand. Former Rangers like Jenkins and Pudge Rodriguez are also popular attractions on the autograph circuit. 

The Dallas area is also home to several hobby companies like Heritage Auctions, Beckett and the Dallas Card Show, along with thousands of sports collectors. 

Heritage Communications Director and Dallas Morning News columnist Rob Wilonsky was one of many Dallas-area collectors celebrating the victory.

Companies throughout the hobby are also celebrating the Rangers championship with Topps preparing to release a card set honoring the World Series champions and parent company Fanatics already selling Rangers championship gear. 

And of course collectors and hobby companies were sharing their favorite cards of Rangers stars. 

The Baseball Hall of Fame is also celebrating the World Series by collecting Rangers memorabilia to display at the sacred hall.