HOUSTON ASTROS: Fall to 3-3 this postseason and 0-2 to begin the 2023 American League Championship Series.
- The Astros face an 0-2 deficit in an LCS for the third time in franchise history…They previously lost the first two games in the 2020 ALCS vs. Tampa Bay and the 2004 NLCS vs. St. Louis…Houston lost both of those previous series in a Game 7.
- Lost a postseason game while homering 3+ times for the third time in franchise history (17-3 record).
FRAMBER VALDEZ: Falls to 0-2 this postseason with an 11.57 ERA (7 IP – 9 ER) across two starts…The five runs allowed match his postseason career high…First time allowing 5+ runs in consecutive starts (regular season or postseason) since Sept. 24 & 30, 2022 (@BAL/vs. TB).
- Recorded six strikeouts today, bringing his postseason career total to 86, which is the second-most by a Dominican-born player (Pedro Martinez has 96 career postseason strikeouts).
- Entered today’s game with a career ALCS ERA of 1.82 (29.2 IP – 6 ER)…Astros are now 4-2 all-time in his ALCS starts.
YORDAN ALVAREZ: Recorded his second career multi-HR postseason game (also homered twice in Game 1 of the 2023 ALDS vs. Minnesota)…Hit a solo
home run in the 2nd inning for the Astros first run of the series and a solo HR in the 8th inning to cut the score to 5-4 Texas.
- His 12 career postseason home runs are the most by a Cuban-born player, passing Randy Arozarena (11).
- In the 2023 postseason, leads the Majors in home runs (6), runs (10), slugging (1.261), OPS (1.701), extra-base hits (8) and total bases (29) and is tied for the lead in RBI (8).
- Became the sixth player all-time with two multi-homer games in the same postseason, joining Nick Castellanos (2023), Chase Utley (2009),
Jayson Werth (2009), Troy Glaus (2002) and Willie Aikens (1980).
ALEX BREGMAN: Recorded a solo home run in the 4th inning to move the score to 5-2 Rangers…Now has 17 home runs and 50 RBI for his career in the postseason, both of which are the most in MLB history by a third baseman…The 17 postseason homers rank fourth in Astros history and are tied for 11th in MLB history, with Jim Thome and David Ortiz.
TEXAS RANGERS: Improve to 7-0 this postseason and 2-0 to begin the 2023 American League Championship Series. • Seven game postseason win streak extends their longest in franchise history (previous was a five game streak during the 2011 postseason). • The seven game win streak to begin a postseason is tied with the 2022 Astros for the second-longest in A.L. history, trailing only the 2014 Royals (won first eight games). • Are now 6-0 on the road in the 2023 postseason…Become third team all-time to win their first six road games of a postseason, joining the 1996 Yankees (won first eight road games) and the 2005 White Sox (won first six road games)…The only other team with a 6+ game road win streak at any point in a single postseason was the 2019 Nationals (eight game win streak). • Teams to take a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven postseason series have gone on to win the series 75 of 89 times (84.2%), including 31 of 35 times in the LCS (88.6%)…Teams taking a 2-0 lead on the road in a seven-game series have gone on to win 24 of 28 times (85.7%), including 13 of 14 times (92.9%) in the LCS…The only team to lose an LCS after taking a 2-0 road lead was the 2020 Braves (vs. Dodgers).
BRUCE BOCHY: Earned his 51st career postseason win as Manager, which ranks fifth all-time, trailing only Joe Torre (84), Tony La Russa (71), Bobby Cox (67) and Dusty Baker (54).
RANGERS 1ST INNING: Texas scored four runs in the top of the 1st inning on five hits (all singles)…First time in Rangers history scoring 4+ runs in the 1st inning of a postseason game.
NATHAN EOVALDI: Improves to 3-0 in the 2023 postseason with a 2.29 ERA (19.2 IP – 5 ER) across his three starts…Nine strikeouts today are a new postseason career high (had eight strikeouts in a playoff game three times)…Through three postseason starts this year, has totaled 24 strikeouts and just one walk.
- Recorded his fifth career quality start in the postseason, including all three this year…Is the third pitcher in Rangers history to have a streak of three straight playoff quality starts, joining Cliff Lee and Colby Lewis. • Today was his third time starting an ALCS game at Houston on Oct. 16 (with Boston, started Game 3 of 2018 ALCS on Oct. 16, 2018 and Game 2 of 2021 ALCS on Oct. 16, 2021)…Has been the winning pitcher for his team in all three of those Oct. 16 ALCS starts at Minute Maid Park… According to the Elias Sports Bureau, is the first pitcher to make three postseason starts at the same road ballpark on the same calendar day in three different years.
JONAH HEIM: Recorded his first career postseason home run with a solo shot in the 3rd inning to extend the Texas lead to 5-1…Has hits in all seven of the Rangers postseason games. • The seven game hit streak is the fourth-longest in Rangers postseason history, trailing 12 game hit streaks by Nelson Cruz and Elvis Andrus in 2010 and an eight game hit streak by Mitch Moreland spanning 2010-11. • Seven game hit streak is the longest for a player exclusively playing catcher during a single postseason since Ivan Rodriguez had an 11-game streak for the Marlins in 2003…It’s the longest such streak in the A.L. by a catcher since Pat Borders for the 1992 Blue Jays.
COREY SEAGER: Singled and scored in the 1st inning…Has reached base in all seven Rangers playoff games this year and has been on base (via H, BB, or HBP) 19 total times, which is tied for the seventh-most through a player’s first seven games of a postseason.
EVAN CARTER: Drew a walk in the 7th inning…Has reached base safely in all seven games this postseason and has reached a total of 15 times in those playoff contests.
