It's a decisive Game 7 in the ALCS tonight (8:03 pm ET) as three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer and the Texas Rangers face Cristian Javier and the defending champion Houston Astros in Houston. The riveting game, whose winner will book a ticket to the 2023 MLB World Series, will be aired on FS1 and some FOX affiliate local stations.
It has been a very tense matchup so far, with both teams even getting in a brawl in Game 5 after a pitch hit Adolis García.
Texas Rangers 11 - 4 Houston Astros - MLB Playoffs ALCS Game 7, LIVE updates from Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX:
Rangers 11 - 4 Astros
Game over! Tucker grounds out to 2nd to end the game & the series. A truly poor Game 7 puts paid to our chances of defending the WS title.
The Texas Rangers are going to the World Series!
Abreu blasts an opposite field base hit to RF. 2 runners on base. 1 OUT
Oh no. Yordan Alvarez strikes out swinging for the 1st out. 1 OUT
Clean inning here for Ryne Stanek, with 1 hit and zero runs allowed... Onto the bottom of the 9th.
Pitching change for Astros: Ryne Stanek relieves Jose Urquidy
Urquidy strikes out Lowe swinging to end the top of the 8th.
What a night for Adolis Garcia!
Let's take a look at his 2nd home run...
Rangers 11 - 3 Astros
Adolis García is unstoppable!!!! Second home run, 5th in 4 games for the slugger.
Urquidy gets Heim to pop up to Altuve at 2nd for the 2nd out. 2 OUTs
Abreu then grounds one to 2nd & can't leg out an infield hit as he's out at 1st to end the 7th.
Rangers 10 - 3 Astros
Aroldis Chapman relieves Josh Sborz on the mound...
Meanwhile, Alvarez hits an RBI single to get Houston a much-needed run. Bregman scores.
Yainer Díaz is now brought in to hit in the 7th. He flies out to shallow RF for the 1st out.
Another bad batting inning in the 6th for the Astros, with a failed bunt attempt falling short. The Texas Rangers are up at bat once again.
Abreu gets Jung to ground out to Altuve at 2nd on a sharp play on the throw to Jose Abreu at 1st to end yet another brutal inning for the Astros. The Rangers are mere innings away from the World Series.
ANOTHER HR!!!!
Bryan Abreu gives up a 2-run HR to Nathaniel Lowe that beats Tucker's jump by an inch.
Bryan Abreu is in to pitch the 6th and faces Adolis Garcia. He gets him to pop up to Jose Abreu at 1st for the 1st out.
Houston comes up short again... Brantley grounds out up the middle on 1 pitch to end the 5th.
Yordan Alvarez lines a base hit the other way to LF! 1 OUT
Hector Neris gets Carter to pop up to Peña running to shallow right CF for the final out of the top of the 5th.
Hector Neris having a good inning here on the mound for Houston so far... 2 OUTs.
Jose Altuve can only fly out to RF as well to end the 4th as YET ANOTHER RISP chance goes begging
Peña lines a 3-1 pitch of his own the other way to RF as well! 2 on base, 1 OUT
McCormick gets a single here on Montgomery. 1 OUT
Well... Senator Ted Cruz is certainly not having a good night.
Finally... the Astros stop the bleeding. We're onto the bottom of the 4th and Houston has a HUGE hill to climb.
Obvious pitching change made here for Houston..
Hector Neris relieves J.P. France.
Rangers 8 - 2 Astros
RBI DOUBLE! Absolute collapse here! J. P. France can't deal with Adolis Garcia either, a base hit through the left side & 2 more runs score. 8-2.
Rangers 6 - 2 Astros
A disastrous pitching night continues for the Astros!
France gives up a 2-run double down the RF line that just stays fair & scores 2 more runs. 2-6. Still runners at 2nd & 3rd with 1 out. Massive blow for the Astros.
Wow! What en error there by Jose Abreu! What could've been a double play results in bases loaded for the Rangers...
J. P. France is on the mound for the Astros. Gives up a single to Jung. 0 OUTs
Max Scherzer's night is over for Rangers
Abreu bounces a grounder to 3rd for the 2nd out & Yordan has to stay at 3rd. The Rangers decide that's enough for Scherzer & make their first pitching change of the game.
Wow! Yordan Alvarez launches one deep... TRIPLE for the Astros, who now have a man on third base.
Rangers 4 - 2 Astros
Wow!!! What a shot by Alex Bregman. SOLO HR for the Astros slugger
Brown strikes out Lowe for 3rd OUT of inning... Onto the bottom of the 3rd. Will it be a slugfest in Game 7 or one-sided affair?
Another angle of Adolis García's incredible solo HR
Rangers 4 - 1 Astros
Adolis García up at bat... ANOTHER HOME RUN for ADOLIS! He crushed it towards right field. It's his 4th straight game with a home run. The last 3 at bats for Adolis have resulted in 6 RBI.
We're onto the 3rd after Maldonado strikes out. Scherzer still holding the fort for Rangers.
McCormick seals second, Pena strikes out swinging. 2 OUTS
'Mad Max' Scherzer flies out Tucker, but walks McCormick.
Hunter Brown retires the inning getting Carter to ground out... Another close call. Houston will have another shot now to come back against the Rangers.
Seager comes up big again with a double after his solo HR in the 1st.
Hunter Brown gets Semien to fly out to McCormick in left CF for the 2nd out.
Another pitching change here for Houston! Hunter 'Diesel' Brown is in to pitch the 2nd.
DOUBLE PLAY for Texas!
Brantley gifts Max Scherzer an escape as he grounds out to 2nd on 1 pitch into an inning-ending double play. Onto the 2nd inning. Rangers lead 3-1.
Rangers 3 - 1 Astros
Jose Altuve runs in first for Houston! RBI for Jose Abreu! Some light here for the Astros.
Max Scherzer gives up first hit of game. Jose Altuve, the Little Boss, leads off 1st.
MATON STRIKES OUT JUNG SWINGING! A sigh of relief here for the Astros after a disaster inning.
Phil Maton strikes out Lowe swinging for the 2nd out
But now Heim steals 2nd. Astros need to stop the running game
Cristian Javier doesn't make it through 1st inning
Javier gives up a base hit through the left side to Heim. Runners at the corners & - shockingly - Javier doesn't even make it through the 1st inning. Dusty Baker makes the change.
Phil Maton comes on to relieve Javier.
Javier's line was: 1 out recorded 3 earned runs (for now) 4 hits 1 walk 2 steals allowed
Rangers 3 - 0 Astros
What a disastrous start for the Astros here... already down 3-0 with only 1 OUT in 1st inning.
Rangers 2 - 0 Astros
Javier gets crunched by Garcia off the top of the scoreboard in left & it scores the runner. 2-0. Garcia barely moved from the box as he thought it was a HR, only reaching 1st.
Carter steals 2nd. This is now a huge RISP jam for Javier. Have to get out this inning only 0-1 down.
Most HRs as shortstop, postseason history:
Derek Jeter: 20
Carlos Correa: 18
Corey Seager: 16
What a shot from the Rangers' SS
Rangers 1 - 0 Astros
HOME RUN!!!!! Corey Seager solo homer in Texas' second at bat!
Javier gets Semien to ground out to Jeremy Peña at shortstop on the throw to Jose Abreu at 1st on the 2nd pitch for the 1st out of the ballgame.
Houston Astros injury report
Lance McCullers (Forearm) - Expected to be out until at least Apr 1, 2024
Luis Garcia (Elbow) - Expected to be out until at least Jul 1, 2024
Ross Adolph (Undisclosed) - Expected to be out until at least Feb 1, 2024
Texas Rangers injury report
Ian Kennedy (Shoulder) - Expected to be out until at least Feb 1, 2024
Jake Odorizzi (Shoulder) - Expected to be out until at least Feb 1, 2024
Brad Miller (Hamstring) - Expected to be out until at least Oct 27
Jacob deGrom (Elbow) - Expected to be out until at least Aug 1, 2024
Brett Martin (Shoulder) - Expected to be out until at least Feb 1, 2024
Texas Rangers lineup for Game 7
Houston Astros lineup for Game 7
Senator Ted Cruz will be in attendance for Game 7
Texas senator Ted Cruz will be in attendance in Minute Maid Park tonight, and he has taken offense to Rolling Stone implying he is bad luck for the home team...
The last time there was a Game 7 in the ALCS at Houston's Minute Maid Park it ended up being epic for the Astros...
Astros' Alex Bregman is giving Will Smith in the 2000's vibes with a 'Men In Black' getup
Abreu's two-game suspension is upheld by MLB
The MLB says Bryan Abreu's two-game suspension is upheld and will be served in first two games of 2024 season.
Astros manager Dusty Baker has never won a Game 7. Rangers manager Bruce Bochy has never lost a Game 7. Will history repeat itself tonight?
The calm before the storm... a look at Minute Maid Park less than an hour before game starts...
Rangers-Astros tonight will be the first Game 7 in MLB since 2020:
Some Game 7 stats...
Home teams are 3-5 in Game 7s since 2014
Astros franchise record in Game 7s: 2-3
Rangers franchise record in Game 7s: 0-1
Average of 6 runs per game in Game 7s since 2014
Rangers (+110) or Astros (-130) tonight?
"Go and Take It" is the Texas Rangers' mantra for tonight. Do you think they will? So far, both Astros and Rangers have only won away games in this best-of-7 series...
How much money would the Rangers make if they win tonight?
Have you ever wondered how much money the Texas Rangers would make if they make it to the World Series this season? READ MORE HERE
Welcome to MARCA's Game 7 of the ALCS score and play-by-play. A pivotal matchup which will decide which team goes forth to the 2023 World Series.
Max Scherzer is back on the mound for another Game 7 in Houston
Road teams are unbeaten in this Lone Star State showdown, only the second time in baseball history the home side has dropped the first six games in a best-of-seven postseason series. The other time it happened, Scherzer started Game 7 in Houston as well - pitching for the Washington Nationals as they defeated the Astros to win the 2019 World Series.
"Seems a little odd nobody is winning at home," Rangers designated hitter Mitch Garver said. "And I would like for it to stay that way." The result has been, at every turn, for home fans to be greatly disappointed. And that's in six games so far in the highly-unpredictable ALCS.
Texas, one of six major league teams without a World Series title, is trying to reach the Fall Classic for the first time since consecutive trips in 2010 and 2011. Will the Rangers finally break their curse?
The Astros are on the brink of MLB history
Houston is attempting to become the first club to capture three straight pennants since the New York Yankees took four in a row from 1998-2001.
Jose Altuve and the Astros topped Philadelphia in last year's World Series. A rematch would mark the first time the same two teams squared off in back-to-back years since the Yankees topped the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1977 and '78.
Texas took Game 6 of the ALCS to avoid elimination Sunday night, winning 9-2 in Houston. Garver went 3 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs. Jonah Heim hit a two-run shot and Adolis García - at the center of a Game 5 dustup - broke it open with a grand slam in the ninth inning.
Nathan Eovaldi improved to 4-0 with a 2.42 ERA in the playoffs this year.
Full highlights of Rangers - Astros ALCS Game 7