On this day in 2023, the Texas Rangers had just completed a flight that was both not fun and one that would end up going viral.

Texas had just lost the American League West Division crown with a 1-0 loss to the Seattle Mariners on the final day of the regular season.

In doing so, the Rangers were forced to fly across the country to Tampa Bay, where they would begin a Wild Card series less than 48 hours later.

While on that flight, Texas would fly over the DFW metroplex, where they could have landed and had a first-round bye had they held onto the division lead.

Looking back, no one on that plane would have changed the way things went. The Rangers would go on to sweep the Tampa Bay Rays in the Wild Card series and eventually go on to win their first-ever World Series title.

As Texas went deeper and deeper into the postseason, that flight was often brought up by baseball followers around the country.

"Getting on that cross-country flight from Seattle to Tampa sucked,” then-rookie third baseman Josh Jung said at the time.

“You just lost the division, 1-0. Our offense was dead. Everyone just sat there for a minute like, ‘Damn, we just let that slip through our fingertips.' We had to take care of business twice in Seattle, and we did not, so that was hard."

For manager Bruce Bochy, he hadn’t seen a road trip of that nature in his lengthy baseball career, but he had no doubt it brought the Rangers and set the stage for their eventual legendary run.

"It’s fair to say, but it can go the other way; you can get sick of each other," Bochy said. "But it’s been good for the guys. Tough series there in Seattle, not getting that last win, and having to fly to Tampa. Yeah, I think that does do something to bring the club together."

When Texas and their fans look back on the 2023 run, there’s no doubt they will rightfully remember beating their biggest rival in the ALCS, Corey Seager and Adolis Garcia’s heroics in the first game of the World Series, or even Nathan Eovaldi’s gem in the clinching game.

However, none of those moments would have happened if it weren’t for that dreaded cross-country flight from Seattle to Tampa, and there’s no doubt that the Rangers are grateful for those 5.5 hours in the air.