Texas-Sized ALCS! Heated Rivals Texas Rangers, Houston Astros Meet In First Postseason Clash
ARLINGTON, Texas — And so it will be.
The Texas Rangers and Houston Astros will, indeed, duke it out in the American League Championship Series with a trip to the World Series on the line.
The Astros dispatched of the Minnesota Twins with a 3-2 Game 4 win Wednesday night at Target Field.
The AL West rivals have never met in the postseason. They've played in the AL West together since 2013, when the Astros moved from the NL Central.
"They know us and we know them," Astros manager Dusty Baker said.
The defending World Series champion Astros are returning to the AL record seventh consecutive ALCS and will host Game 1 Sunday night at Minute Maid Park.
Both teams finished 90-72 in the AL West but the Astros won the division by virtue of a 9-4 head-to-head edge against the Rangers. With the division lead on the line, Houston pummeled Texas at Globe Life Park Sept. 4-6. The Astros swept the series while outscoring the Rangers 39-10.
Both teams struggled down the stretch, however, and Texas led the division needing only two wins or two Astros' losses in the final weekend of the regular season.
The Rangers went 1-3 in Seattle and the Astros won their final four games, including a sweep in Arizona to take the West on the tiebreaker. That forced the Rangers into the Wild Card, and on a cross-country flight from Seattle to Tampa Bay. Texas swept the Rays in the best-of-three series and then swept the Baltimore Orioles in the best-of-five ALDS with a 7-1 win Tuesday at Globe Life Field.
The Astros got to rest for five days before hosting the Minnesota Twins in the ALDS round. The teams split Games Nos. 1-2 before the Astros won 9-1 in Game 3 at Target Field.
Game 1: TBA Sunday at Minute Maid Park
Game 2: TBA Monday at Minute Maid Park
Game 3: TBA Oct. 18 at Globe Life Field
Game 4: TBA Oct. 19 at Globe Life Field
Game 5: TBA Oct. 20 at Globe Life Field
Game 6: TBA Oct. 22 at Minute Maid Park
Game 7: TBA Oct. 23 at Minute Maid Park
* Games Nos. 5-7 are if necessary
You can follow Stefan Stevenson on Twitter @StefanVersusTex.
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