Texas Rangers Join Elite List in History as They Remain Continue to Win in Playoffs
The Texas Rangers shut out the Houston Astros 2-0 on Sunday night, winning Game 1 of the ALCS and taking a lead in the best-of-seven series.
The Rangers got an RBI single from Jonah Heim and a home run from Leody Taveras in the win, while also getting a dominant 6.1 inning pitching performance from Jordan Montgomery.
As a result of the win, the Rangers are now 6-0 in these playoffs. They swept the Rays 2-0 in the wild card series, then beat the Orioles 3-0 in the ALDS.
They are also making playoff history, per Sarah Langs of MLB.com:
highest run differential in 1st 6 games of single postseason:
1960 Yankees: +29
1970 Orioles: +25
2020 Braves: +23
2023 Rangers: +22
2023 Phillies: +21
The Rangers have a very deep offense and are certainly capable of putting up lopsided run totals, but the pitching has been a surprise. The Rangers don't have Jacob deGrom because of injury, and then also haven't had both Max Scherzer and Jon Gray all playoffs, and they've still found a way to cobble together some great performances.
With Scherzer and Gray both back on the roster now and capable of pitching, the staff should get even better.
The Rangers and Astros will play Game 2 of the series on Monday afternoon. First pitch is set for 4:37 p.m. ET to accommodate Game 1 of the NLCS, which is slated for the night time slot.
Nathan Eovaldi gets the ball for Texas while Framber Valdez pitches for the Astros.
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