In the 12 years before the Houston Astros joined the Texas Rangers in the American League, these in-state rivals would play for a trophy called the Silver Boot. Now, as they get set to square off in the postseason for the very first time, something a whole lot weightier is on the line: a trip to the 2023 World Series.
While this may have been a rivalry more in name only than anything in years past, make no mistake about it: There’s genuine bad blood here, with shots fired on each side. Houston got the last laugh in the regular season, dominating the season series — they won nine of 13 games against Texas, scoring a whopping 83 runs over those nine victories — and snatching the AL West out from under the Rangers in Game 162. Texas could’ve folded after such a gut punch, but instead they caught fire, sweeping the Rays in the Wild Card round and the top-seeded Orioles in the ALDS.
Houston has long been the starrier team in the Lone Star State, and Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, Yordan Alvarez, Kyle Tucker and Justin Verlander have won a ton of playoff games together. But the Rangers have some big names of their own, with another one potentially making his return for this series, and they seem to be peaking at just the right time — particularly starters Nathan Eovaldi and Jordan Montgomery. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of this Texas-sized showdown for the AL pennant.
ALCS schedule, start times
Game 1: Rangers at Astros, Sunday, Oct. 15, 8:15 p.m. ET, FOX
Game 2: Rangers at Astros, Monday, Oct. 16, 4:37 p.m. ET, FOX/FS1
Game 3: Astros at Rangers, Wednesday, Oct. 18, 8:03 p.m. ET, FS1
Game 4: Astros at Rangers, Thursday, Oct. 19, 8:03 p.m. ET, FS1
Game 5: Astros at Rangers, Friday, Oct. 20, 5:07 p.m. ET, FS1*
Game 6: Rangers at Astros, Sunday, Oct. 22, 8:03 p.m. ET, FS1*
Game 7: Rangers at Astros, Monday, Oct. 23, 8:03 p.m. ET, FOX/FS1*
*if necessary
Tale of the tape
ALCS tale of the tape
| Runs/game | Team OPS | SP ERA | RP ERA | Defensive Runs Saved |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runs/game | Team OPS | SP ERA | RP ERA | Defensive Runs Saved |
| 5.44 (3rd) | .789 (3rd) | 3.96 (7th) | 4.77 (24th) | 37 (7th) |
| 5.10 (5th) | .768 (5th) | 4.17 (12th) | 3.56 (7th) | 14 (17th) |
Pitching matchups
Frankly, there have been so many twists and turns with each of these pitching staffs that you can more or less throw the season-long stats out the window. This would’ve been hard to believe given where Texas was a few weeks ago — with Scherzer and Jon Gray sidelined, Nathan Eovaldi diminished after rushing back from a forearm strain and a very sketchy bullpen behind Aroldis Chapman — but the Rangers’ ERA is a full run better so far in October than the Astros’. Arms like Jose Leclerc, Josh Sborz and Cody Bradford are red-hot, while Eovaldi and Montgomery have pitched two gems each. It remains to be seen just how trustworthy that Rangers bullpen is — they posted a ghastly 5.27 ERA in September and a 4.77 mark on the year — but their ability to match Ryan Pressly, Bryan Abreu, Hector Neris and Co. on the other side will be a key to a series featuring two deep and deadly offenses.
Of course, two sweeps have allowed the Rangers to avoid digging much deeper into their rotation than Eovaldi and Montgomery, a luxury they likely won’t be able to afford in a best-of-seven against the Astros. Which begs the million-dollar question: Will Scherzer (and/or Gray) be able to pitch in this series, and if so, how much? If he does, and can go at least four or five innings, Texas will be able to line up a big three that can go just about toe-to-toe with Verlander, Framber Valdez and the suddenly revived Cristian Javier; if not, well, more Andrew Heaney and Martin Perez would seem to give the slight edge to Houston.
Why the Rangers will win
If you were warped from, say, July straight to the first week of October and started watching the Rangers, you’d swear this was the clear best team in baseball. They’re 5-0 in the postseason, having thoroughly dismantled two teams that won a combined 200 games in the regular season. Their vaunted offense is clicking again after a late-summer lull, with top prospect Evan Carter blossoming into a star in real time and seemingly no easy outs (even No. 9 hitter Leody Taveras is a handful). The big question with this team was whether they’d have the pitching for a deep run, and they’ve answered that with a resounding yes so far — and that’s without Scherzer in the fold. Texas starters have a 2.22 ERA, and the bullpen has a 2.16 ERA so far in these playoffs; if they show up like that again, any pitching staff in the world would have a hard time keeping up.
Why the Astros will win
Have you been under a rock for the past seven years or so? The AL runs through Houston until proven otherwise; Altuve and the gang have built up more championship equity than anyone else in the sport, finding ways to win this time of year again and again and again. This season was a bumpier ride than most, but the Astros appear to have closed their two most gaping holes: Javier is back looking like his 2022 self, while Jose Urquidy is back healthy; those two do wonders to shore up a rotation that was a bit creaky down the stretch, relying on youngsters Hunter Brown and J.P. France. At the plate, Jose Abreu and Michael Brantley have finally emerged to lengthen what was at times a surprisingly thin lineup. (Plus, they have probably the best player in this series in Yordan Alvarez, who once again seems nigh-impossible to get out in October.) Playoff experience, power up and down the lineup and four quality starters? Where have we seen this movie before?
