Believe it: Astros’ dynasty ends at the hands of the World Series-bound Texas Rangers

In the top of the sixth inning a faint chant of “Let’s Go Rangers!” could be heard as Astros fans filed up the stairs towards the exits, and the end of their season.

Rangers first baseman Nathaniel Lowe had just hit a 2-run home run to expand the Rangers’ lead from “Wait, what?” to, “That can’t be right.”

It was; in the top of the sixth inning of Game 7 of the 2023 American League Championship Series in Houston, the Texas Rangers led 10-2.

The Astros and Rangers delivered the the ALCS to the destination all Texans wanted, but the little team from Arlington proved that Houston’s days at the very, very top are over in a finale that was without suspense. Game 7 of the ALCS could have been easily confused for Game 37 of the regular season.

One of baseball’s most successful, not to mention controversial, dynasties was laid to rest on Monday night at Enron Field as the Rangers kicked around the Astros 11-4 to win the ALCS in a historically anti-climatic Game 7.

“It’s unreal,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said in the clubhouse. “I couldn’t be any more grateful. Look at all we had to do to get here. They did it.”

Thanks to, among others, Adolis Garcia’s supernatural bat, the arms of Nathan Eovaldi and Jordan Montgomery, the Texas Rangers are headed to the World Series for the first time since 2011.

“We knew from Day 1 of spring training we had a team that could win,” Rangers catcher Jonah Heim said in a cigar-smoke filled, Budweiser-soaked clubhouse that had Creed blaring as the soundtrack. “We made that probability a reality.”

The occasion demanded the Rangers enjoy this momentous achievement by celebrating all over their rivals’ field, which they completely owned in this series. And in the dugouts. In the clubhouse. The hallways. The stairs.

The Texas Rangers celebrated a trip to the World Series with a Budweiser party in the visitor’s clubhouse at the home field of the Houston Astros. That little detail, and the accompanying video and pictures, will stick for no less than a decade, or two.

“We needed to play our best baseball in this building,” Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien said.

Done, and historically done.

In this series the Rangers won all four games at Enron Field (which means for the last time I no longer to have explain that I know it’s called Minute Maid Park, but this is my safe space). No word yet if Major League Baseball will allow the Rangers to rent out their vacation home here in Houston for Games 1 and 2 of the World Series.

The Rangers will play the winner of the Phillies - Arizona Diamondbacks National League Championship Series, which will conclude on Wednesday night with a Game 7 in Philly. Game 1 of the World Series will be Friday night in Arlington.

There is no way the Diamondbacks/Phillies’ Game 7 can be less exciting than what the Rangers did to the Astros here on Monday night. From nearly the first pitch of the night, the Rangers were all over any and all who dared step on the mound for the Astros.

Shortstop Corey Seager hit a one-out home run to start a three-run first inning where they chased Astros’ starter Cristian Javier after he retired one hitter on 23 pitches. It was one of the worst starts in the history of MLB playoffs.

“We just didn’t want to give them any momentum,” Heim said.

Astros fans tried to get into the game, and the Rangers never gave them a reason to believe their team was going to do this.

Rangers’ starter Max Scherzer wasn’t good, but he was better than the steady parade of bad the Astros thew at a Rangers lineup that had 14 hits, and four home runs. Two of the home runs came via Garcia, who finished 4-for-5 with 5 RBI.

Garcia’s 14 RBIs against Houston in these seven games is the most in MLB history in a single LCS series. He has 20 postseason RBIs, tied for second most in MLB history.

The Astros sent out eight pitchers in a nine inning game, only three of whom did not allow a run.

This series should have never gone seven. Had the Rangers not blown Game 5 this should have been completed in six games. The Rangers are simply better than the Astros, and they have/are peaking at the right time.

Winning the division title means so little any more as it relates to postseason success; winning 100 games has become a curse. The Rangers did neither during the regular season, and settled for what is now the “safer” route to the World Series via the wild card round.

By the eighth inning on Monday night, the large contingent of Rangers fans began to drown out the remaining Astros fans who stuck around to see the end of what was a historic series for this state.

The only thing left was to watch a harmless ground out to second base that started the Texas Rangers celebrating a trip to the 2023 World Series by way of defeating the Houston Astros.

“Our fans can hold their heads high with pride now,” Rangers general manager Chris Young said on the field after the formal trophy presentation. “Our fans deserve this.”

Can I get an amen?

Now it’s on to the one remaining peak this franchise has never conquered: The World Series.