Houston Astros Will Need to Make History in Order to Return to the World Series
The Houston Astros aren't quite on the brink of elimination just yet, but history suggests their odds of advancing are slim.
The Astros dropped Game 2 of the ALCS to the Texas Rangers on Monday, falling behind 2-0 in the series. Each of the first two contests were played in Houston, but the next three will all take place in Arlington.
According to FOX Sports, no team has ever come back to win a league championship series after losing the first two games at home.
There have been 89 instances of a team going down 2-0 in a best-of-seven series in MLB history, and only 14 of those teams managed to bounce back and advance. The most recent occurrence was the Los Angeles Dodgers coming back to beat the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2020 NLCS, but the games were played at a neutral site due to COVID-19.
The 1985, 1986 and 1996 World Series all featured higher seeds digging themselves out of 2-0 holes as well, meaning all is not lost for Houston at this point.
Only one team has ever come back from down 3-0 – the 2004 Boston Red Sox in the ALCS against the New York Yankees.
The Astros are playing in the ALCS for the seventh consecutive year, meaning they have plenty of experience in the current arena. The Rangers, on the other hand, have only made the ALCS twice in franchise history.
If Houston wants to repeat as World Series champions, the club will need to pull out multiple wins on the road this week.
Games 3 and 4 are scheduled to start at 8:07 p.m. ET on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, while Game 5 – if necessary – will start at 5:07 p.m. ET. All three games will be played on the Rangers' home turf at Globe Life Field.
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