GAME 7
Tonight at Minute Maid Park, the Houston Astros host the Texas Rangers in Game 7 of the 2023 American League Championship Series…The series is tied 3-3…Texas has won Games 1, 2 and 6 in Houston and the Astros won Games 3, 4 and 5 in Arlington.
- Tonight is the 20th LCS all-time to go the full seven games since the series shifted to the best-of-seven format in 1985 and the ninth ALCS to have a seventh game (first since 2020 between the Astros and Rays). With a win tonight, the Astros would clinch an American League Championship for a third consecutive season and would play in the World Series for a sixth time in franchise history and the fifth time in the last seven years…They would be the first team with three straight World Series appearances since the Yankees had four in a row from 1998-2001.
- Texas is looking to advance to the World Series for the third time in franchise history…The Rangers previous appearances came in 2010 and 2011.
GAME 7 HISTORIES
- The Astros are playing their sixth Game 7 in franchise history tonight and are 2-3 all-time, including a 1-2 mark in the LCS (1-1 in the ALCS).
- Dusty Baker is 0-3 in Game 7’s as a manager (2002 World Series at Angels, 2003 NLCS vs. Marlins & 2020 ALCS at Rays)…Tied with Casey Stengel for the most Game 7 losses all-time.
- Texas is playing a Game 7 for the second time in franchise history, and first in an LCS (only previous Game 7 came in the 2011 World Series).
- Bruce Bochy is 2-0 in Game 7’s as a manager (2012 NLCS vs. Cardinals & 2014 World Series at Royals). Full Game 7 game-by-game results are below:
- ASTROS RANGERS
Series OPP Result Series OPP Result
2004 NLCS @STL L (2-5) 2011 WS @STL L (2-6)
2017 ALCS NYY W (4-0)
2017 WS @LAD W (5-1)
2019 WS WSH L (2-6)
2020 ALCS @TB* L (2-4)
*at Petco Park (San Diego)
THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE THE ROAD
The road team has won all six games to begin the 2023 American League Championship Series…This is the second best-of-seven series all-time to have the road team win each of the first six games and the first in a League Championship Series…The only other series to have the road team win the first six games was the 2019 World Series (Nationals/Astros) when all seven games were won by the road teams…Game 7 in that 2019 World Series was started by Max Scherzer for Washington.
LOOKING TO CLINCH
The Astros are 18-22 in potential series clinching games in the Postseason…They had six straight potential clinching games until last night’s loss…Houston is 5-8 all-time in potential clinch games in the LCS (4-3 in the ALCS).
- The six game win streak in potential Postseason series clinching games that ended last night ties for the third-longest all-time…The only longer streaks are a nine-gamer by the A’s (1973-90) and an eight game active streak by the Red Sox, dating to the 2013 ALDS.
- Jose Altuve has homered seven times in potential clinching games of a Postseason series, which is tied with Reggie Jackson and Nelson Cruz for second-most all-time, behind Bernie Williams (8).
- Houston is 8-4 in potential clinch games since Dusty Baker took over as manager in 2020. The Rangers are 6-10 in potential series clinching games in the Postseason (2-0 this year).
- Texas is 2-2 all-time in potential clinching games in the ALCS…In both 2010 and 2011, they lost Game 5 before winning Game 6 to advance to the World Series.
FACING ELIMINATION
- Houston has a 10-14 all-time record when facing elimination in a Postseason game, including a 4-2 record under Dusty Baker…Today is the Astros first potential elimination game since losing Game 6 of the 2021 World Series vs. Atlanta.
- The Rangers are 2-8 all-time when facing elimination in a Postseason game…Last night’s win snapped a five game losing streak in such contests…The only other win in Texas history in a potential elimination game came in the deciding Game 5 of the 2010 ALDS at Tampa Bay.
ON THE MOUND
Tonight’s starting pitching matchup features a rematch of Game 3 with Houston’s Cristian Javier taking on Max Scherzer for Texas.
- Javier is making his third start of the 2023 Postseason and second of this ALCS…He has won both of his previous starts in this Postseason and has a 0.82 ERA (22 IP – 2 ER) in his four career playoff starts.
- Scherzer is making his second start of the 2023 Postseason…His start in Game 3 of the ALCS was his first appearance since Sept. 12 at Toronto…Tonight is also Scherzer’s fifth career start in a winner-takeall Postseason game, which will tie Roger Clemens and Gerrit Cole for the most all time…He’s had three winner-take-all starts for Washington (2016 NLDS vs. LAD, 2019 Wild Card vs. MIL & 2019 World Series at HOU) and one for the Dodgers (2021 Wild Card vs. STL)
AIR YORDAN
In the 2023 Postseason, Yordan Alvarez leads the Majors in home runs (6), slugging (.949), OPS (1.426) and total bases (37) and is tied for the lead in hits (17) and XBH (8).
STREAK STORIES
- Texas has an active seven game road win streak to begin the Postseason, which is the second-longest streak all-time, behind an eight game road win streak by the Yankees to begin the 1996 Postseason.
- They are the third team all-time to win seven straight on the road at any point in a single Postseason, along with eight game streaks by the 2019 Nationals and 1996 Yankees.
ABOUT GAME 6
Last night, the Rangers won Game 6 of the 2023 ALCS by a 9-2 score to even up the series 3-3 and force tonight’s Game 7.
- Nathan Eovaldi earned the win (6.1 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO) and has now won all four his starts for Texas in the 2023 Postseason…He joins Cliff Lee (2010) as the only pitchers in Rangers history to have four quality starts in a single Postseason.
- Adolis García hit the third grand slam in Rangers Postseason history and now has 15 RBI through his first 11 career Postseason games, which are tied for the second-most all time…Only Nomar Garciaparra (20) had more RBI through his first 11 playoff games.
- Teams trailing 3-2 to win Game 6 in a seven-game series have gone on to win the series 33 of 59 times (55.9%), including 12 of 19 times in the LCS (63.2%)… When road teams in that scenario win Game 6, they have won the series 12 of 23 times (52.2%), including four of nine times in the LCS (44.4%).
THE CLOSERS
- Houston’s Ryan Pressly has converted all 14 of his career Postseason save opportunities, including all three save chances in 2023 and earned the win in Game 5 with 2.0 shutout innings…His 14 Postseason saves are the most in Astros history…The streak of 14 straight successful save conversions are the most to begin a playoff career all-time…The only longer save streak at any point in a Postseason career is a 23 game stretch by Mariano Rivera spanning 1998-2001.
- Texas closer José Leclerc has finished eight of the Rangers 11 Postseason games this year and has converted three of four save chances…He had allowed one run in his first 7.2 innings (1.17 ERA), before allowing three runs in the 9th inning of Game 5.
ROOKIE RECORDS
Josh Jung has already set Texas franchise rookie records for a single Postseason with three home runs, eight RBI and seven extra-base hits…He also set a Rangers single-game rookie Postseason record with four RBI in Game 3…He has hits in seven of 11 games this Postseason and seven of 12 hits in the playoffs have gone for extra bases.
2023 POSTSEASON TRENDS
- Teams to score first in the 2023 Postseason are 24-9 (.728)…The team to score first has won five of six games in this ALCS (lone exception was Game 6).
- Teams to hit more homers than their opponents are 19-3 (.864) this postseason, but two of those three losses have come in this series (each team has had one game outhomering the opponent but losing the game.
- 2023 AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
- Houston is playing in the ALCS for a seventh consecutive season, which is the longest streak all-time by an A.L. team and the second-longest by any team in the Majors, trailing only Atlanta’s run of eight straight appearances in the NLCS from 1991-99 (excluding the 1994 Strike season).
- Texas is in their third League Championship Series in franchise history, having won both of their previous two appearances in 2010 & 2011.
- 100 PLAYOFF GAME CLUB
Jose Altuve (102 career Postseason games) is one of seven players all-time with 100+ playoff games played, along with Derek Jeter (158), Jorge Posada (125), Bernie Williams (121), David Justice (112), Manny Ramirez (111) and Yadier Molina (104)…Alex Bregman has 96 career playoff games. - PLAYER STREAKS
- Adolis García has homered in each of his last three games in this series, becoming the third Rangers player to hit a home run in at least three consecutive Postseason games, joining Juan Gonzalez (4 straight in 1996) and Nelson Cruz (3 straight in 2011).
- Yordan Alvarez has multiple hits in five straight Postseason games, which is the longest streak in Astros playoff history…The streak is also tied for the longest all-time in a single Postseason and he is the 10th player to do so (first since Oakland’s Marcus Semien in 2020).
- FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Rangers rookie Evan Carter has reached base safely in all 11 of the Rangers Postseason games this year… The 11 game on-base streak is the fifth-longest in Texas Postseason history…Carter is also the first Ranger ever with multiple outfield assists in a single Postseason. - IF THE RANGERS ADVANCE
The Rangers would have home field advantage if they advance to the World Series regardless of the opponent they face…Texas finished with a better regular season record than the Diamondbacks and would win a tiebreaker against the Phillies following their three-game sweep at Globe Life Field from March 30 – April 2. - IF THE ASTROS ADVANCE
The Astros would have home field advantage vs. Arizona if they advance to the World Series, but would lose a tiebreaker to the Phillies with Philadelphia winning two of three games at Minute Maid Park from April 28-30…If Houston ends up facing Philadelphia, it would be the first World Series rematch since 1977-78 (NYY vs. LAD).
RANGERS GAME 7 STARTING PITCHER:
RHP MAX SCHERZER
2023 POSTSEASON: 0-1, 11.25 ERA
2023 REGULAR SEASON: 13-6, 3.77 ERA
TODAY’S START: Making 29th career postseason appearance (24th start), and ninth career outing (all starts) in the League Championship Series…Second career Postseason start in a Game 7 (2019 World Series – ND; 5 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 3 SO).
2023 POSTSEASON: Is 0-1 with an 11.25 ERA (4 IP – 5 ER) following first start on Wednesday in Game 3 of the ALCS (4 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO)…The Game 3 start
in Arlington was his first outing since Sept. 12 at Toronto…Was on injured list (right teres major muscle strain) from Sept. 13 through the end of the regular season and was not on the Rangers active roster for the Wild Card Series or Division Series.
POSTSEASON CAREER: Has a 7-8 record and 3.80 ERA (137.1 IP – 58 ER) and 168 strikeouts across his 28 previous postseason games (23 starts)…2023 is his 10th different season pitching in the postseason and has appeared with five different teams (DET, WSH, LAD, NYM, TEX)…Among active players, ranks third in postseason innings (137.1), starts (23) and strikeouts (168), trailing Justin Verlander and Clayton Kershaw in all three categories…Made postseason debut in a start for the Tigers in Game 2 of the 2011 ALDS at New York Yankees.
2023 REGULAR SEASON: Combined to go 13-6 with a 3.77 ERA (152.2 IP – 64 ER) and 174 strikeouts in 27 starts between the Mets and Rangers…In 19 games with New York, was 9-4 with a 4.01 ERA (107.2 IP- 48 ER) and 121 strikeouts…Was traded to Texas on July 30 with cash considerations for minor league INF Luisangel Acuña… After joining the Rangers, went 4-2 with a 3.20 ERA (45 IP – 16 ER) and 53 strikeouts in eight starts…His 2.21 ERA (36.2 IP – 9 ER) in his first six starts with the Rangers was the second best in franchise history for a player’s first six starts with the team, trailing only Fergie Jenkins (1.84 ERA in 1974).
VS. HOUSTON: In 10 career regular season starts vs. Houston, is 5-2 with a 3.84 ERA (63.1 IP – 27 ER) and 81 strikeouts…This season, went 1-1 with a 6.55 ERA (11 IP – 8 ER) in two starts against the Astros…Has also made three previous postseason starts vs. Houston, going 1-1 with a 5.79 ERA (14 IP – 9 ER) and 14 strikeouts… With Washington, earned the win in Game 1 of the 2019 World Series vs. Houston and took a no-decision in Game 7 (exited game with Astros leading 2-0 in the 6th inning); Nationals scored six unanswered runs in the final three frames to clinch the World Series Championship.
ASTROS GAME 7 STARTING PITCHER:
RHP CRISTIAN JAVIER
2023 POSTSEASON: 2-0, 1.69 ERA
2023 REGULAR SEASON: 10-5, 4.56 ERA
TODAY’S START: Making 17th career postseason appearance (fifth start), and seventh career outing (third start) in the League Championship Series…Today is his first career appearance in a winner-take-all Postseason game and fourth career appearance (first start) in a potential series clinching game.
2023 POSTSEASON: In two games this Postseason, is 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA (10.2 IP – 2 ER) and 12 strikeouts…Earned the win for Houston in Game 3 of the ALDS at Minnesota (5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 9 SO) and also was winning pitcher in last start in Game 3 of this ALCS at Globe Life Field (5.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO).
POSTSEASON CAREER: Has a 6-1 career playoff record with a 2.08 ERA (43.1 IP 10 ER) and 60 strikeouts across his 16 games (four starts)…As a starter, is 4-0 with a 0.82 ERA (22 IP – 2 ER) and 26 strikeouts…Was the starting pitcher in the Astros combined no-hitter in Game 4 of the 2022 World Series at Philadelphia (W; 6 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 9 SO); combined with Bryan Abreu, Rafael Montero and Ryan Pressly on the second no-hitter in World Series history…Among all MLB pitchers with 35+ career postseason innings pitched, his .123 opponent batting average (18/146) is the lowest all-time…Had a 20.1 inning scoreless streak as a starter to begin Postseason career, before allowing his first run in the 5th inning of last start at Texas; only Christy Mathewson (28 IP) posted a longer scoreless inning streak as a starter to begin his Postseason career.
2023 REGULAR SEASON: Made 31 starts for the Astros and went 10-5 with a 4.56 ERA (162 IP – 82 ER) and 159 strikeouts…Through his first 14 starts, was 7-1 with a 2.90 ERA (80.2 IP – 26 ER) and 76 strikeouts, but pitched to a 6.20 ERA (81.1 IP – 56 ER) in his final 17 regular season games.
VS. TEXAS: In 14 career regular season games (10 starts) against the Rangers, is 5-1 with a 3.84 ERA (63.1 IP – 27 ER) and 71 strikeouts…Took a no-decision in only start vs. Texas this season on July 3 at Globe Life Field (4.1 IP, 9 H, 8 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO); the nine hits and eight runs allowed were single game career highs, but Astros ultimately won the game by a 12-11 score…The five wins vs. Texas are tied for his most vs. any opponent and the 71 strikeouts are his second-most against any opponent (has five wins and 75 strikeouts vs. Angels)…Today marks second career Postseason appearance vs. Rangers (both in this ALCS).
