HOUSTON — After six games of offensive explosion from road teams throughout the ALCS, it all boiled down to one final Texas showdown in Houston.
Game 7. Rangers. Astros.
With Lone Star bragging rights and a trip to the World Series on the line, Texas beat their arch-rival Houston Astros, 11-4, on Monday night.
Astros starting pitcher Cristian Javier got pulled after only 23 pitches and 0.1 innings of work, thanks to a Corey Seager bomb to right center field and a barrage of Rangers hits to begin the game.
The Rangers finished the top of the 1st with three runs.
Despite an RBI single from Jose Abreu in the 1st inning and a 3rd inning home run by Alex Bregman, Texas continued to pile on in the 3rd and 4th, driving in five more runs to blow open the game to a 8-2 lead.
Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy relied mostly on his starting rotation early in the game. Max Scherzer and Jordan Montgomery, who worked the first five innings, combining for seven hits allowed, two earned runs and three strikeouts. The bullpen finished the game from the sixth inning on.
Nathaniel Lowe extended the lead to 10-2 with a two-run homer, and Garcia added another solo shot in the 8th to make it 11-3. Josh Sborz, Aroldis Chapman and Jose Leclerc finished the game on the mound for Texas.
The Rangers will next face the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2023 World Series. The D-backs won their own win-and-you're-in Game 7 over the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLCS on Tuesday night to make the fall classic matchup official.
Here is a look at the full World Series schedule.
With the win, the Rangers advanced to their first World Series in over 10 years.
Here's further look at how Game 7 unfolded:
Corey Seager, who had hit 5-for-26 (.192) prior to Game 7, opened the scoring with a 440-foot home run to right center field in the top of the 1st inning. Evan Carter got walked, stole second base and then Adolis Garcia bombed a shot off the left field wall to drive in Carter for another run. Garcia also stole second with ease. Mitch Garver blooped a shallow pop fly and Garcia scored from second.
After getting four hits and a walk, Astros manager Dusty Baker pulled Cristian Javier for Phil Maton, who struck out Nathaniel Lowe and Josh Jung to stop the bleeding. The Rangers led 3-0 before an Astros hitter even stepped into the batter's box.
In the bottom of the first inning, Jose Altuve led off with a single and advanced to second on a fielders choice. Texas elected to intentionally walk Yordan Alvarez after falling behind to a 3-0 count. Jose Abreu drove Altuve home for Houston's first run. Michael Brantley grounded into a double play and Texas escaped the 1st inning with a 3-1 lead.
Garcia extended the Rangers lead to 4-1 after hitting a home run to right field. It was Garcia's 12th RBI of the series and 17th of the entire 2023 postseason.
Alex Bregman homered to left center and Alvarez tripled off the left field wall. Max Scherzer was replaced by Game 5 starter Jordan Montgomery, who retired the side from that point forward. Texas led 4-2 after the third inning.
Texas loaded the bases for rookie Evan Carter in the 4th, who doubled down the right field line to score two more runs, extending the lead to 6-2. Garcia brought home two more runs the very next at bat, extending the lead to 8-2.
Montgomery pitched his way through the fifth inning, holding Houston at bay with no runs allowed and only three hits.
Nathaniel Lowe hit a two-run home run in the top of the 6th to make it 10-2. The Rangers went three up and three down in the 7th inning.
Alvarez added a third run for Houston in the bottom of the 7th inning with an RBI single.
But El Bombi wasn't finished, as the Rangers right fielder hit his second home run of the game – this time to left field – for his 20th RBI of the postseason, an MLB record.
Altuve homered in the bottom of the 9th, but it didn't make a difference.
More Texas Rangers coverage: