HOUSTON — Before Texas Rangers outfielder Adris Garcia took his turn to bat in the first inning Sunday at Minute Maid Park, he was met with heavy boos from a hostile Houston crowd. The Rangers board the home of a borderline dynasty that is on the verge of extinction. They stared at the defending champion’s lair, knowing there was bad blood in their veins. And for eight innings, the hecklers seemed to get through Garcia’s head. The powerful slugger had four strikeouts. He chased pitches outside the strike zone. He unleashed a powerful hack and whiffed even harder. But the postseason didn’t go smoothly.
The game remained close into the 9th inning. The flawed Texas bullpen cost a lifetime. With the game tied at 5-2 and the bases loaded, Garcia stood up. Finally, the man connected with Ryne Stanek’s fastball and sent a fastball into the stadium’s Crawford box. Garcia went around the bases in a more subdued manner after his strong performance in Game 5. The Rangers won 9-2. They will live to see another day.
Garcia landed a deafening blow, but the decisive moment could have come sooner. The marching order was this: The Texas Rangers needed eight outs of him out of a weak bullpen. The heart of the Houston Knights was beating. Brantley. Bregman. Alvarez. This is where this team was supposed to fail, where all the success they had in the first seven games of this postseason should have come undone.
After Jose Altuve singled to right-center field with one out in the seventh inning, Texas manager Bruce Bochy had little choice but to head to the bullpen. This time, it meant handing the ball to Josh Sbortz, a 29-year-old Virginian who posted a 5.50 ERA in the regular season but put together his best this postseason. Sborz immediately grounded out Michael Brantley into a 4-6-3 double play. If his heart rate slowed in the Texas dugout, it was only momentary.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Sborz was still on the mound, Alex Bregman walked and Jose Abreu singled. Left-handed Kyle Tucker was at bat and there was one out. Bochy took his time making his decision. He waited until Sborz was about to step on the rubber. Then the respected manager limped onto the mound and called out Jose Leclerc, the Dominican-born pitcher who had scored the big win in Game 5. Leclerc watched the ball fly off Altuve’s bat and heard the home crowd sigh.
Leclerc gave up a walk to Tucker on five pitches. This time, with the bases loaded, Mauricio Dubon stepped up to the plate and became one of the men who supported the champions’ rapid advance. The Astros’ orange flag, marking his league’s pennant, towers over the stadium. His two gold flags commemorating his 2017 and 2022 World Series wins are flown just to the right. Dubon hit it softly to shortstop. Pinch hitter John Singleton struggled for a full count, but ended up striking out on a 92 mph cutter. Leclerc exhaled.
Then, in the top half of the ninth inning, the Rangers’ offense eased the pressure. Garcia’s bases-loaded hit and earlier home runs by designated hitter Mitch Garber and catcher Jonah Heim were another great postseason start for Nathan Eovaldi, who is 4-0 with the Rangers this postseason. It helped me prove that I was successful.
Houston starting pitcher Framber Valdez gave up three runs in five innings. His team took an early advantage with Altuve scoring on Alvarez’s single in the first inning. But the Astros had just six hits overall, and the Rangers overcame what seemed like a tragic flaw to keep the Reapers at bay for another day.
The series is now tied at 3. Max Scherzer will start for the Rangers in Game 7. The Astros will counter with Cristian Javier. The winner advances to the World Series.
even deeper
Adriz Garcia, Rangers get ‘baseball justice’ and force Game 7
(Photo: Troy Taormina/USA Today)
