The Texas Rangers had a chance to reach the postseason on the final day of the regular season. A win over the Minnesota Twins, paired with a Houston Astros loss, would have given them the American League West title. Instead, Texas lost 6-4 and finished Schumaker’s first year as manager at 80-82, one game behind Houston.

In an MLB.com article by Kennedi Landry, it was clear Schumaker wasn’t interested in using the division’s weak record as an excuse.

“I think the disappointing part is that we're not playing in October,” said first-year Rangers manager Skip Schumaker. “The record is the record. I get it. The division is not great as far as record-wise. Our [record] wasn't either. The reality is we didn't play well enough against under .500 teams. We didn't play well enough on the road, and I didn't solve that problem.

“That part is frustrating more than anything. That’s more than looking at the other teams in the division and worrying about them. The frustrating part is like not figuring out different ways to help beat the teams that we should have beat.”

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The numbers back him up. Texas went 51-53 against teams with losing records and 35-46 away from home. The Rangers also lost all but one road series after the All-Star break. Those results left them needing help in Game 162, even though the Astros won the division with an 81-81 record.

Winning the West would have changed everything. As the third division winner, Texas would have hosted a Wild Card Series despite finishing well behind wild-card teams such as the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and the Chicago White Sox. The Rangers and Astros spent the closing weeks fighting for that route into October because neither had done enough to secure a wild-card berth.

Injuries made Schumaker’s job harder. Josh Jung and Joc Pederson were unavailable for the finale, while Corey Seager endured three injured-list stints during the season. Still, Schumaker put the responsibility on himself to help the roster produce more. That accountability is a good place to start.