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Bradford Doolittle, ESPN Staff Writer
ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers handed out their championship rings Saturday before taking the field against the Chicago Cubs.
Approximately 60 members of the Rangers organization received rings during the ceremony commemorating the franchise’s first World Series win — a six-game triumph over the Arizona Diamondbacks last fall.
Rangers lead baseball executive Chris Young gave the players their first glimpse of one of the rings during a team dinner Friday night. During the dinner, a Rangers highlight package and a video were displayed. The video described the design process used by Jason of Beverly Hills, who was charged with making a set of World Series title rings for the first time.
Rangers fans, you’re not dreaming!
The 2023 World Series ring is here. 💍 pic.twitter.com/nS5j6KOoMT
— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) March 30, 2024
“It was a little emotional, the way [Young] put things together,” Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien said. “When you finally see it, it’s just emotional, it’s all the hard work that we put in.”
The making of the ring. pic.twitter.com/LgPuU05XqK
— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) March 30, 2024
The rings feature an array of gems such as blue sapphires, red rubies and diamonds. They’re laid out in a way that forms the Rangers’ “T” logo but also recounts the story of their championship season. There are 103 blue sapphires in the design to represent the team’s victory total for the regular season and playoffs combined. The rings also have a removable top and feature a piece of leather taken from a baseball used during one of the Rangers’ wins in the Fall Classic.
“I’m just so happy for our guys,” Young said. “What a present and a treasure they’ve given us. It’s the new standard in championship rings, in my opinion.”
For Rangers manager Bruce Bochy, the new jewelry represents the fourth World Series ring of his career. He hasn’t had a chance to put them all on at the same time, but he didn’t rule out giving it a shot at some point.
“They measure them for one finger,” Bochy said. “But I may have to try.”