LCS takeaways and analysis: Rangers reach World Series, D-backs force Game 7
The Arizona Diamondbacks foiled what started out as a potential double elimination day by coming into Citizens Bank Park for Game 6 and beating the Philadelphia Phillies 5-1 to stay alive and force a Game 7 — the two best words in sports — in the National League Championship Series. Then, the Texas Rangers punched their ticket to the 2023 World Series by eliminating the Houston Astros in an American League Championship Series Game 7 blowout.
We have the latest from both Philly and Houston, including our takeaways and updates from both LCS matchups.
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Takeaways
0:49
Adolis Garcia’s two home runs send Rangers to World Series
Adolis Garcia goes yard twice for the Rangers in Game 7 of the ALCS to send Texas to the World Series.
Texas Rangers 11, Houston Astros 4: The Rangers navigated through most of the summer with a prolific offense, a group that at times made up for a shorthanded rotation and a deficient bullpen. On Monday night, it sent them to the World Series. The Rangers cranked out four home runs — two from Adolis Garcia, one each from Corey Seager and Nathaniel Lowe — and hardly ever gave the defending champion Astros a chance. They scored three times off Cristian Javier in the first, then four times off J.P. France in the fourth. And down the stretch, they kept tacking on, quieting Minute Maid Park to finalize a series in which the road team won all seven games. The only other time that happened was in the 2019 World Series, which the Astros lost to the Washington Nationals. Max Scherzer started the decisive game for the Nats. He started this one, too, but by the end of it, his 2⅔-inning outing was a mere footnote. This one was all about the Rangers’ offense. Everyone kept wondering when their shorthanded bullpen might catch up to them, but their lineup wouldn’t let it. Four more wins, and they’ll have their first championship in franchise history. — Alden Gonzalez
1:20
Tommy Pham, Lourdes Gurriel crush back-to-back dingers for D-backs
Tommy Pham and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. launch back-to-back home runs to give the Diamondbacks a 2-0 lead.
Diamondbacks 5, Phillies 1: The Diamondbacks, left for dead before the wild-card series, division series and league championship series, saved their season Monday night. They didn’t just make the Phillies look mortal in their 5-1 victory in Game 6 of the NLCS. Arizona dominated them. Merrill Kelly was brilliant over five innings. The Diamondbacks hit home runs and finally got going on the basepaths, with four stolen bases. For the first time in seven games this month, the Phillies lost at Citizens Bank Park — and they need to change that trend in a hurry.
Because Game 7 is coming. The last time in a full season that both championship series went to a Game 7 was 2004. Scheduled to start: Arizona’s Brandon Pfaadt and Philadelphia’s Ranger Suarez, both of whom were brilliant in their Game 3 duel. First pitch is at 8 p.m. And if this game is anything like the six that has preceded it, this series should have a fitting denouement. — Jeff Passan
Relive the day
CLEVELAND — George Valera hit a two-run homer in the third inning, Jose Ramírez had a two-run double in the seventh and the Cleveland Guardians became the first major league team to overcome a deficit of 15½ games and take the lead in either division or league play, beating the Detroit Tigers 5-1 on Wednesday night.
Cleveland (86-72) has a one-game lead over Detroit (85-73) with four games to play. The Guardians also have the tiebreaker by taking the season series.
The 1914 Boston Braves were 15 games back in the National League on July 4 and rallied to win by 10½ games according to Elias Sports Bureau. Since baseball went to division play in 1969, the biggest deficit overcome was 14 games by the 1978 New York Yankees to win the AL East.
Tanner Bibee (12-11) won his third straight start and allowed only one run in six innings, extending the streak of Guardians starters allowing two or fewer runs to 19 games. They are the first since the 2019 Tampa Bay Rays to go at least 19 games.
Detroit has dropped eight straight and is out of first place for the first time since April 22, when the Guardians led by a half-game. Jack Flaherty (8-15) took the loss.
The Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the third when Parker Meadows‘ sacrifice fly drove in Dillon Dingler.
Brayan Rocchio led off the Cleveland third with a double and then scored when Valera’s drive appeared short of the wall in center before it was deflected off the glove of Meadows.
Ramírez broke it open in the eighth with a two-run double to right field that deflected off the glove of Detroit second baseman Gleyber Torres. He became the second player in Cleveland franchise history to reach 3,000 total bases. The other was Earl Averill with 3,201 from 1929 through ’41.
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