The Texas Rangers won Game 7 of the AL Champion Series after beating the Houston Astros 11-4 Monday night.
After losing all three of their ALCS games at home, the Rangers forced Game 7 with a 9-2 win on Sunday night. Texas also won the first two ALCS games in Houston and then lost all three games in Arlington.
The Rangers have only played one Game 7 in franchise history -- and it didn't go well, but they will now head to the World Series for the first time since 2011.
Cristian Javier got one out, and J.P. France got two. That marked the end of Houston's title defense.
Playing a Game 7 in Space City, the Astros never even took off.
Javier flopped in an abbreviated postseason start and France had a rocky relief outing, sending Houston to an 11-4 loss to the Texas Rangers in the finale of the AL Championship Series on Monday night. The lineup wasn't much help either, going 2 for 14 with runners in scoring position.
So much for Houston's seventh straight appearance in the ALCS, and its bid for baseball's first repeat champion since the New York Yankees won three in a row from 1998-2000. The Astros' trouble at home finally caught up to them.
Houston went 39-42 at Minute Maid Park during the regular season, but it secured the AL West title with a win at Arizona and a Texas loss on the final day. It went 1-5 at home in the playoffs.
No team with a losing record at home has ever reached the World Series.
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The Astros are the only big league team to lose four home games in a seven-game postseason series, falling against Washington in the 2019 World Series and then experiencing the same issue this year versus Texas.
Javier was 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA in the playoffs this year and 4-0 with a 0.82 ERA in four career postseason starts for Houston. But he fell apart after retiring leadoff batter Marcus Semien on a grounder to shortstop.
Corey Seager launched a fastball 440 feet into the second deck in right field for a home run. Evan Carter walked and stole second base before scoring on a single by Adolis GarcĂa that caromed off the wall in left field.
GarcĂa stole second and Mitch Garver followed with a pop-fly single to left-center field. The ball bounced off the shoulder of diving left fielder Michael Brantley, allowing GarcĂa to score to make it 3-0. A sharp single to left by Jonah Heim put runners at the corners, and Javier was removed by manager Dusty Baker.
Big league teams are 3-9 in postseason history when their starting pitcher lasts less than an inning in a winner-take-all game.
But Houston closed to 4-2 on Alex Bregman's solo homer in the bottom of the third. France then replaced Hunter Brown for the start of the fourth, and Texas took over.
With one out and the bases loaded, France surrendered a two-run double to Evan Carter and a two-run single by GarcĂa. Following a two-out single by Jonah Heim, Baker replaced France with Hector Neris.
France allowed five hits and walked one in his first appearance since he pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings a week ago in Game 2 of the ALCS.
Rangers slugger Adolis GarcĂa sets postseason record
Texas Rangers slugger Adolis GarcĂa set a record for RBIs in a postseason series with 15 in the AL Championship Series and extended his home run streak to four games after going deep twice in Game 7 against the Houston Astros on Monday night.
GarcĂa stretched his RBI streak to six games with a single in the first inning of the pennant-deciding game. He added an opposite-field solo homer in the third, a two-run single in the fourth and then went deep again in the eighth to push the Rangers to an 11-3 lead. He's also the first player with RBIs in six straight games within a postseason series.
The Cuban slugger known as “El Bombi” broke the previous postseason record held by Nelson Cruz. Cruz had 13 RBIs for the Rangers in the 2011 ALCS against Detroit, which was the last time they went to the World Series.
GarcĂa has 20 RBIs in these playoffs, the most ever by a player before the start of the World Series. He's one shy of David Freese's mark in 2011 for most RBIs in a postseason overall.
When does the 2023 World Series begin?
The first pitch in MLB championship play is slated for Friday, Oct. 27.
What is the 2023 World Series schedule?
The World Series schedule is as follows:
| Game | Date | Site | Time | TV |
| 1 | Friday, October 27 | Globe Life Field | TBD | FOX |
| 2 | Saturday, October 28 | Globe Life Field | TBD | FOX |
| 3 | Monday, October 30 | Chase Field/Citizens Bank Park | TBD | FOX |
| 4 | Tuesday, October 31 | Chase Field/Citizens Bank Park | TBD | FOX |
| 5* | Wednesday, November 1 | Chase Field/Citizens Bank Park | TBD | FOX |
| 6* | Friday, November 3 | Globe Life Field | TBD | FOX |
| 7* | Saturday, November 4 | Globe Life Field | TBD | FOX |
| *If Necessary |
What channel will the 2023 World Series be on?
The series will be available on FOX.
When will tickets go on sale?
Individual tickets for Texas Rangers 2023 World Series games at Globe Life Field will go on sale Tuesday, October 24 at 10:00 a.m. CT.
The Rangers also have Premium Suite rentals available for 2023 World Series games at Globe Life Field. For more information, call 972-RANGERS or go to texasrangers.com/postseason.
