After 162 regular season games and two rounds of playoffs, the 13 teams in the American League not from Texas have excused themselves, leaving the Texas Rangers and defending World Series champion Houston Astros to battle for a spot in the World Series.
Both teams went 90-72 in the regular season to tie for the American League West title, and the Astros will have the homefield advantage (i.e. a potential Game 7 in Houston) because of a 9-4 edge in regular-season head-to-head games.
The Rangers could have flipped that on the last day of the regular season, but with the West title on the line, they lost to Seattle while Houston walloped potential World Series foe Arizona to force a tie where they had the tiebreaker.
When does the ALCS start?
Houston hosts Texas in Game 1 at Minute Maid Park on Sunday. First pitch is at 7:15 p.m. Central (local) time/6:15 p.m. Mountain time.
What channel is it on?
Game 1 is on FOX and all the games will be either on FOX, FS1 or both. Game 2 and a potential Game 7 are on both channels while Games 3 through 6 are on FS1.
Has this happened before?
This is the first time two teams from the same state have met in a league championship series. The Rangers and Astros have never met in a playoff game.
What is the series schedule?
The format is 2-3-2, with games in Houston Sunday and Monday, in Arlington’s Globe Life Field Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and potentially back in Houston on Sunday and Monday.
Game 1 Sunday 7:15 p.m. Central, 6:15 p.m. Mountain FOX
Game 2 Monday 3:37 p.m./2:37 p.m. FOX, FS1
Game 3 Wednesday 7:03 p.m./6:03 p.m. FS1
Game 4 Thursday 7:03 p.m./6:03 p.m.FS1
Game 5 Friday 4:07 p.m./3:07 p.m. FS1
Game 6 Sunday, Oct. 22 7:03 p.m./6:03 p.m. FS1
Game 7 Monday, Oct. 23 7:03 p.m./6:03 p.m. FOX, FS1
How did they get here?
The Rangers swept the two best regular-season teams in the American League, Tampa Bay and Baltimore, in commanding fashion, winning all but one of the five games by three runs or more.
The Astros opened with an ALDS loss in Game 1 to Minnesota, then rolled in the next three games.
Have they been here before?
This is Houston’s seventh consecutive league championship series. They are 4-2 in the previous six. They also made (and lost) the 1980 NLCS. The Rangers won in their only two ALCS appearances in 2010 and 2011.
Who won the World Series in 2022?
Houston swept the Yankees in the ALCS last year, then beat the Phillies in six games in the World Series for their second title in this run (they also won the World Series in 2017).
Who is favored?
The Astros are favored to win the ALCS and the World Series. In the ALCS they are -145 (bet $145 to win $100), while Texas is +122 (bet $100 to win $122).
To win it all, Houston is +180, Philadelphia is +220, Texas is +265, Arizona is +450.
Who’s next?
The winner of the Rangers-Astros takes on the winner of the NLCS between the Philadelphia Phillies and Arizona Diamondbacks. That seven-game series begins Monday night at 7:07 pm. Central/6:07 p.m. Mountain in Philadelphia.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at 915-546-6359; [email protected]; @Bretbloomquist on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: How to watch the ALCS: When are the Rangers and Astros playing?
David Rodriguez brings the excitement of Major League Baseball to readers. With a deep appreciation for America’s pastime, he covers the latest MLB news, scores, and player achievements, keeping fans up to date with their favorite teams and players.
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