HOUSTON — Good pitching and even better game-planning. An overpowering offense with timely hitting. An old-school manager who knows a thing or two about what strings to pull in a Game 7. Oh, and a heavyweight weapon in Adolis García. That’s how you slay the defending-champion dragon.
That’s how the Rangers are going to the World Series.
García, competing in the playoffs for the first time in his career, added two more home runs in Game 7, bringing his postseason total to seven. He set the Major League Baseball record for most RBIs in a postseason series with 15, including at least one with all four of his hits Monday. García single-handedly dismantled Houston throughout the American League Championship Series, culminating in the Rangers’ 11-4 win over the Astros on Monday night at Minute Maid Park.
The slugger earned every inch of his ALCS MVP award. By the time his second home run of the night sailed 340 feet into the Crawford Boxes, Astros fans had completely cleared out of the building. The only noisy fans remaining were sporting blue, white and red. “Let’s Go Rangers!” chants became louder and more frequent as the Astros faded into the night. Still, it wasn’t enough. García put a hand to his ear as he rounded third, wanting more from the Texas faithful. The All-Star slugger couldn’t have been more comfortable over the past eight days at Minute Maid, taking home-field advantage to another level.
And he’s not done yet.
“He’s a bad man, isn’t he?” said Corey Seager, who just as well could have been talking about himself after going 3-for-5 and starting the party Monday with a home run. “To be able to come into this atmosphere, get booed every at-bat and do what he did was pretty special. It was really fun to watch.”
The Rangers now await the victor of the National League Championship Series between the Diamondbacks and Phillies. No matter which team wins Tuesday’s Game 7, the World Series will begin on Friday night in Arlington at Globe Life Field.
For an idea of just how locked in the Rangers were in Game 7, even as they constructed a blowout, players were still emotionless and focused in the Rangers dugout. That concentration emanated from skipper Bruce Bochy, who never took his finger off the pulse. Players tend to feed off the philosophy of their manager, and Bochy’s experience allowed him to remain calm and in control as Texas piled on. It was hard to find anyone but García, ever the good-vibes man and entertainer, celebrating early on the bench. No, the Rangers waited until the final out for that.
And then it was time for the champagne.
These Rangers, sporting an 8-0 record on the road this postseason, weren’t messing around. Seager, playing in his third career Game 7, put his club on the board as soon as the fourth pitch of the night. Texas stormed ahead for a 3-0 lead and knocked Astros starter Cristian Javier from the game in the first inning. The lineup overpowered Houston with four more runs in the fourth. That provided enough cushion to overcome its three-time Cy Young winner’s abbreviated start.
Max Scherzer escaped a first-inning jam with an enormous double-play ball that was reminiscent of vintage Mad Max. After allowing a solo homer to Alex Bregman and triple to Yordan Álvarez in the third, Scherzer induced a groundout that kept the latter at third. He lasted just 2.2 innings but stranded three runners in scoring position when the game was still close. Four Texas arms then combined to pitch 6.1 innings in relief, surrendering just two inconsequential runs.
Astros players looked dejected as early as the top of the fourth. The crowd’s energy — orange towels no longer in the air and not a peep coming from the same fans who booed García earlier in the night — matched the spirit on the field.
Sure, they still had 18 outs with which to work. They still had plenty of time to make a comeback. Houston was down six runs to Texas at that point. It wasn’t insurmountable. But that’s just the picture in a vacuum. Throw in the context of what got Houston to that point, and Game 7 seemed over the minute ace Jordan Montgomery took over for Scherzer in the third inning.
The Astros’ season-long problem leaked into the postseason. They couldn’t consistently score or win at home. Their orange army of a fan base only saw Houston win at Minute Maid Park 40 times out of a possible 87 chances, including 0-4 in an ALCS where neither team won a home game. Amazingly, not having home-field advantage worked to the Rangers’, well, advantage.
Houston had the best record in baseball on the road and got away with it until the penultimate round, five wins shy of repeating as champions.
Game 7 seemed doomed for the Astros once Javier exited in the first inning. The October standout, so dominant on the road dating back to last year’s playoffs, crumbled at home Monday. Javier recorded one out before Dusty Baker ambled out of the dugout and pulled him, his disastrous outing consisting of 23 pitches and one out. Calling on the bullpen to record the other 26 is a monumental ask, and it ultimately proved too much for Baker to juggle.
With Houston still trailing just 4-2, its revered skipper left in J.P. France, his fourth arm of Game 7, entirely way too long. The rookie coughed up four runs on five hits while recording two outs. Worse, he was used over more experienced high-leverage options like Hector Neris and Bryan Abreu.
But these will be mere footnotes in a Game 7 that, much like Game 6, demonstrated why Texas has the best offense in baseball — and, perhaps, the best team.
Deesha Thosar is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.
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