Texas Rangers defy their own history to pitch a ‘perfect game’ against the Astros

The moment manager Bruce Bochy came out of the dugout every single Texas Rangers either said a prayer, cursed, or took a big swig of whatever they were drinking.

Beer. White wine. Red wine. Boxed wine. Moonshine. Chocolate milk. Milk of magnesia. A shot of Pepto Bismol.

A variety of strong fluids are necessary when Bochy decides he needs a reliever. Any reliever.

Even though the Rangers have crushed, fielded, and pitched, their way to this American League Championship Series, nothing scares their fans, and probably their front office, more than watching Bochy call for a reliever late in a tight game.

On Sunday night in Game 1 of the 2023 ALCS in Houston, the Rangers had a lead late. A bullpen that made the worst kind of history by turning a 100-plus win team into a 90-win team during the regular season did its job, and the Texas Rangers beat the Houston Astros.

Three relievers did their jobs by performing a 2023 Texas Rangers miracle: Not allowing a run as the Rangers defeated the Astros 2-0 in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series on Sunday night in Houston at Enron Field. (I know it’s not Enron Field, but old habits die hard).

Game 2 is Monday at 3:30 p.m.

“I know they beat up on us during the regular season,” Rangers catcher Jonah Heim said after the game. “It’s nice to beat up on them. I know 2-0 isn’t 10-0, but we scored two and they scored zero. It’s nice.”

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The Rangers remain undefeated in the postseason because of starting pitching, defense and hitting ... and rookie Evan Carter. The one element of their team that had not been overly stressed in this playoff run is what had been a terrible bullpen.

A bullpen so bad that the numbers don’t make sense. How can a team this good have one of the worst bullpens in baseball? Especially in this current state of baseball where the best teams routinely have at least three to four relievers they can trust.

After the Rangers scratched out single runs in the second and fifth inning to take a 2-0 lead, starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery was cruising.

Carter helped him out with solid defense, not to mention scoring that run in the second inning, but every time things grew a little “interesting” for Montgomery he figured it out. That included the fourth inning when he left the bases loaded.

With one out in the of the seventh inning, Bochy decided that Montgomery had done his part even though he had thrown only 90 pitches, and allowed zero runs.

The moment that every single Rangers fan feared was here: A close game against the Astros when the bullpen’s margin for error was but a single run.

When Bochy called on Aroldis Chapman with Jose Altuve on first base after a lead-off walk in the bottom of the eighth inning, Astros fans greeted Chapman with a loud, warm reception. Chapman is appreciated throughout Houston for some of his “finest work” here.

Almost immediately, Chapman served up a home run ball to Astros outfielder Alex Bregman, who turned on a fat pitch and hit what sounded like a game-tying home run. In those immediate split seconds from the time the ball left Bregman’s bat every Rangers fan watching felt as if they had seen this only a few dozens times already this season.

Instead, Carter made a difficult catch on the warning track, and immediately threw it to the infield.

“Once I caught it I’m just gong to get it in as soon as possible,” Carter said. “You never know what’s going to happen.”

Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien had a good idea. He immediately saw that Altuve failed to touch second base on his return to first. Semien called for the play to be reviewed, and the Rangers were rewarded with the rare 7-6-4 double play.

“It’s a play when I always watch the runner does because the umpire is watching the ball,” Semien said in the clubhouse after the game. “I’ve made that mistake before. ... I just felt like it didn’t look right.”

What also didn’t “look right” was Chapman holding the lead, and “closer” Jose LeClerc completing a stress-free, 1-2-3 ninth inning.

It doesn’t make any sense, but the Rangers bullpen now has a 1.86 earned run average in 19 1/3 innings in these playoffs.

“The (postseason) is a chance to start over,” said Rangers pitcher Josh Sborz, who relieved Montgomery and allowed zero. “Health is the big thing now. We’re not so beat up, and experience.”

The Rangers have yet to experience a loss in these playoffs because their defense, starting pitching, offense, Evan Carter, and even their bullpen have all shown up every single night to the point when Bochy leaves the dugout not every fan needs to reach for the bottle(*).

(* They still probably will).