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Rangers secure home-field advantage for postseason

Rick Yeatts / Getty Images Sport / Getty

With a 3-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday, the Texas Rangers guaranteed themselves the best record in the American League, affording the AL West champions home-field advantage throughout the postseason, including the World Series.

The Rangers, 95-65 with two games to go, are now poised to host the wild-card team - either the Baltimore Orioles, Toronto Blue Jays, Detroit Tigers, or Seattle Mariners - at Globe Life Park for the first two games of their best-of-five ALDS matchup, with a potential fifth game to take place in Arlington, as well.

"For us to be here for the first two games, that's something any team wants," outfielder Carlos Gomez told MLB.com's Mike Bauman ahead of Friday's victory. "We play in our own facility, in front of our crowd. We need to get this and we're going to get it."

The Rangers dominated at home this season, setting a new club record with 53 wins in 79 games while managing a plus-39 run differential, but left-hander Cole Hamels suggested home-field advantage is more a treat for the fans than an edge for the players.

"If you get that home-field advantage, it's great for the fans," Hamels said. "Sleeping in your own bed, that's kind of nice. But at the same time, we're in and out of hotels, and we'd know how to handle ourselves, even if we weren't the home team.

"It's more of a gift for the home crowd. And we'd love to show that to them. They come here and support us day in and day out; we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them."

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