How the Texas Rangers’ Baby Boom of 2023 Provided a New Perspective on Their World Series Run
The Rangers’ journey to the 2023 World Series title created unforgettable memories that will be cherished for generations. And that’s just referring to their growing families.
During their journey to winning the first World Series in franchise history, the Rangers experienced a baby boom, with thirteen players welcoming children in 2023.
Having a baby is a joyous yet stressful event for any family, but it is especially challenging in baseball due to frequent travel, intense performance pressure, and often a lack of long-term job security. Although historically there were no guarantees that fathers could be present for the birth, times have changed. Now, it is encouraged and accommodated through a paternity list, allowing for temporary roster adjustments.
Despite accommodations, the schedule and expectations added extra stress. One Ranger had to rush from the dugout mid-game to get home, another took a red-eye flight across the country, one feared losing his job when his baby arrived, and another tried to attend the birth without missing any playoff games.
“You are happy for them; it’s such a big moment,” said manager Bruce Bochy, father of two grown sons. “But it is often an adjustment for them and for a team. The moment is amazing, but you also wonder, ‘Will they get their rest? How will the responsibilities affect them?’ Somehow, we just kept going. You talk about all the injuries we had, but we had even more babies.”
When Bochy, then a 24-year-old backup catcher, had his first son in 1979, he was on the bench during a game in Philadelphia and didn’t see his wife Kim and newborn Greg until he returned to Houston a week later. When his second son Brett was born in 1987, Bochy and his San Diego teammates were at home.
“There’s nothing like it,” Bochy said of holding his newborn for the first time. “You realize that life is what’s important. And the connection between parent and child in that moment is amazing.”
Dane and Rachel Dunning, son Mack born May 25, 2023
Texas Rangers Dane Dunning and his wife Rachel and son Mack at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, May 15, 2024. (Tom Fox / Staff Photographer)
Dane Dunning had it all laid out. He’d pitch, as scheduled, in the opening game of a three-game road trip. On a scheduled off day between Pittsburgh and Baltimore, he’d jet back to his home in Charlotte, N.C., to check in with his wife, Rachel, as she approached her due date and be back to make his next scheduled start.
The plans went out the window two days after the start in Pittsburgh, when pitching coach Mike Maddux walked up to him in the dugout and said: “It’s time to be home.”
Rachel’s water had broken about two weeks before her due date. She was heading to the hospital. She’d notified team officials since it happened in the middle of a game. They relayed the message to the dugout and Maddux became the message-bearer. Dunning, in his words, “bolted” up to the clubhouse, flagged down an MLB security officer and gained permission to use his phone. In a sweat, he reached Rachel on FaceTime.
“She was doing the dishes,” Dunning said. “And I’m like, ‘You are about to have your first child and you are doing dishes?’ She didn’t want everybody to come home to a dirty house.”
Dunning was able to change all his flight plans, get back to Charlotte and be there for the delivery of Mack. It was the only time the family was together for the first six weeks, including his first Father’s Day. Rachel and Mack came to Arlington at the All-Star break.
“It was the most eye-opening experience of my life,” Dunning said of welcoming the child. “You get a newfound respect for mothers. It was the craziest, coolest thing to hold your baby for the first time. It has changed the way I live my life.”
Jacob and Stacey deGrom, son Nolan born June 1, 2023
Texas Rangers Jacob deGrom his children (from left) Nolan, Aniston and Jaxon at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, May 15, 2024. (Tom Fox / Staff Photographer)
Imagine having a newborn and not being able to hold him in your arms.
This was Jacob deGrom’s worry. His season was already done. By the end of May, he knew he was facing surgery — and a long rehab — on his precious, but temperamental right elbow. It would mean wearing a bulky brace and also an inability to pick up anything of significance for a while. The club and deGrom had scheduled surgery for just after Stacey’s early June due date when she went into labor June 1 with Nolan. (No, it’s not a nod to Nolan Ryan, not a conscious one anyway).
“It was kind of a whirlwind of things,” deGrom said. “The whole thought process when you are having a baby is you want to hold the baby, help the baby and help your wife. And you are nervous about all that. And then you are facing having surgery in 12 days. It’s kind of a worst-case scenario. It’s not what you want. It kind of had me riding the roller coaster, you know?
“The goal is to be out there competing, and I wasn’t able to do that. But [the birth] brought joy in that time. You know, you’ve seen the birth of your third child and you are fortunate enough to have three very healthy kids.”
DeGrom does not take that for granted. When the couple’s first child, Jaxon, was born in 2016, he had an apnea issue and spent a week in the Neonatal ICU. The deGroms spent the entire week in the hospital with the baby. The couple also has a daughter, 6-year-old Aniston.
He also does not take for granted the impact of having a large group of young fathers in the same clubhouse.
“You play this game as a child with dreams of playing at this level,” he said. “Our kids are very fortunate to get to experience this part of it. I love having them around. It puts everything in perspective. I used to beat myself up pretty bad over starts and then after you have kids, whether you pitch a shutout or give up 10 runs, they want to play. The goal is to win, but as long as you can look in the mirror, even if you got beat up and know you gave 100%, that’s all you can ask. Having kids made it easier to flush bad starts and not dwell on them too much.”
Andrew and Jordan Heaney, twin daughters Eleanor and Olivia born July 3, 2023
They had waited a long time for the gift of children. And then they arrived early.
Having exhausted options for pregnancy, Andrew and Jordan Heaney were about a month from exploring surrogacy or adoption when Jordan found out she was pregnant early in 2023. With twins. She was due in September. She didn’t make it to the All-Star break.
Heaney had just worked five shutout innings against Houston on July 2, a Sunday, and, as luck would have it, walked away with no decision. The bullpen blew a lead. The Rangers lost 5-3. The only saving grace was the series was a rare, four-game wrap-around series, meaning the Rangers would play one more at home on Monday before hitting the road to the East Coast for a week.
Texas Rangers Andrew Heaney pictured with his newborn twin children Eleanor (right) and Olivia at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, May 15, 2024.(Tom Fox / Staff Photographer)
So Heaney was at home around midnight when Jordan said she wasn’t feeling well. The Heaneys were aware their twins were monodi twins, who share a placenta and an amniotic sac. At 29 weeks in, there was a strong possibility Jordan was going to spend the final weeks of the pregnancy on bed rest. So, they took no chances, and went to UT-Southwestern. Five hours later they were the parents of identical girls, each weighing 3 pounds, 4 ounces.
“It was one of those moments where you have no idea what you are doing,” Heaney said. “You are excited but scared. Happy, but nervous.”
They weren’t able to do much more than hold out a finger to the babies for the first two weeks. They drove to the hospital every day. Weren’t able to take the girls home until September. A week later, Heaney departed for the final road trip of the regular season, leaving Jordan and the girls behind.
“It was all a lot,” Heaney said. “The progress wasn’t always linear. But the doctors and the hospital staff were great, they kept reassuring us. It just took us time to feel comfortable with the whole idea of, like: ‘Am I allowed to touch my baby?’
“They gave them a great head start.”
As they approach their first birthday, both girls are doing well. They’ve even made their first road trip as a family — to Arizona for Game 3 of the World Series.
Came back with a nice souvenir, too.
Travis and Lindsey Jankowski, daughter Wrenlyn born Aug. 10, 2023
Texas Rangers Travis Jankowski pictured with his wife Lindsey and children (from left) Wrenlyn, Bentley, Radleigh and Jett at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, May 15, 2024.(Tom Fox / Staff Photographer)
Both the Dunnings and deGroms had considered Nolan as a baby name. Neither said it was a nod to Nolan Ryan. Travis Jankowski and his wife, Lindsey, almost named their new daughter “Seager,” and it most assuredly was with his teammate in mind.
The Jankowskis like creative, unusual names. Their oldest son, born in 2018, is 5-year-old Bentley. They adopted Jett after a series of miscarriages and the thought they might not be able to have further children. Two weeks after bringing newborn Jett home, Lindsey found out she was pregnant again. They welcomed a daughter: Radleigh. They are seven months apart. Jett is 3, Radleigh 2.
“We want unique, not strange,” Jankowski said of the naming process. “I always think of the Seinfeld episode where George wanted to name a kid ‘Seven.’ OK, that was a bit strange. But we want things that are creative and not common, that will stand out.”
After Travis jetted across the country on an off-day red-eye, attended the birth of their fourth child and was getting ready to get Lindsey home before rejoining the Rangers, they still didn’t have a name . Lindsey liked “Winnie.” Travis thought it was adorable for a baby. Might not be as cute in school or on a resumé. He took a shot: “What about Seager?” … like All-Star shortstop and eventual World Series MVP Corey Seager.
Ultimately, they compromised on Wrenlyn. Wrenny or Wren for short.