Astros vs Rangers summary online: stats, scores and highlights | MLB ALCS Game 5 highlights
Astros come from behind to snatch Game 5
Jose Altuve blasts Houston into series lead
This was the best of games, this was the worst of games. The 2023 ALCS Game 5 had something for everyone, from excellent pitching duels, to come-from-behind home run shots, to bench clearing brawls and ejections, to record setting wins.
Like Charles Dickens' epoch of belief and incredulity, the Astros' spring of hope is one game away from becoming the Rangers' winter of despair.
Jordan Montgomery and Justin Verlander had a pitching duel worthy of masters, each surrendering a single solo home run to bookend five outstanding innings. Bregman and Lowe's solo shots went by innocuously. But it was the three-run shots that caused the fuss.
In the sixth inning, Adolis Garcia hit a three-run blast to put the Rangers on top. In doing that, he stood and admired his handiwork before spiking the bat to the ground as he trotted around the bases. This led to a situation where, when he was hit by a pitch in the eighth inning, it was assumed by many, certainly by Garcia and the umpires, that he was purposely hit as retaliation.
The benches cleared and when the dust settled, both Garcia and Astros pitcher Bryan Abreu, as well as Dusty Baker, had been ejected from the game. It was a farce wrapped inside a melodrama. Whether you believe that the pitch was thrown intentionally or not, there were no punches thrown, nothing but words, and no warning from the umpires. There should have never been any ejection made at all.
But then the checkers turned into chess, when it became obvious that in delaying the game so long, the Rangers closer José Leclerc had been put on ice for over 11 extra minutes, leading for his ninth inning stuff to be... well... less. Not as good as normal, not as sharp, struggling to find the zone.
The Astros, and one player in particular, are masters of making you pay dearly for your mistakes. A single and a walk off of a struggling and frustrated Leclerc offered a chink of daylight, and José Altuve took full advantage.
A three-run blast into left field, just beyond the outstretched glove of Evan Carter, saw the Astros take the lead in the top of the ninth and a reeling Texas put men on base in the bottom, but could not push them around to score.
With that, José Altuve becomes the all-time ALCS home run leader with 11 blasts in the contest. His third go-ahead home run in the ninth inning or later is another all time post season record. Love him or hate him, he is the best $15,000 investment that the Astros ever made and he will almost certainly reside in Cooperstown one day.
As for the Rangers, they now head into the final stretch of this ALCS with their backs firmly against the wall. From winning seven in a row in the post season, including the first two in the series, they have dropped three in a row and are in danger of allowing Houston to shoplift the championship.
In the regular season, Texas led the AL West the entire season, allowing the Astros to steal it away on the final day. 159 days at the top lost to 28 days at the top. The playoffs are looking to be headed the same way.
To this point, the home team has yet to win a game in the ALCS, and if Texas can maintain that, then they have hope. If, like the Astros, you don't believe in numbers and just play power baseball regardless, then it is all a bunch of nonsense.
Losing this game hurts Texas far more than it helps Houston. With Nathan Eovaldi scheduled for Game 6, they will be without a dominant starter should they manage to force a Game 7. And that is all of the Rangers' worst fears come to fruition.
Goodbye!
That is going to do it for our live coverage of ALCS Game 5 between the Rangers and Astros. We hope that you enjoyed it as much as we did!
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We will return tomorrow with Game 5 of the NLCS as the Phillies and Diamondbacks slug it out.
Until then, good night and God bless!
Astros win
Evan Carter the hitter and he chases a curve ball for strike three. The Astros come from behind and win!
Corey Seager up now and he rips a long one to center. Mauricio Dubón pulls it down for the second out. Strangely, Smith does not try to tag and advance to third. Very conservative baserunning.
Robbie Grossman pinch runs for Heim and Marcus Semien comes to the plate. Semien rips a line drive to short and Kessinger makes the grab! One down.
Heim hits a bullet to second, too much for Altuve to handle! It squirts into center field for back to back singles!
Jonah Heim up to the plate and Josh H. Smith will pinch run for Garver.
Bottom 9th
Mitch Garver will lead off for Texas in the ninth as Grae Kessinger takes over at shortstop and Yainer Diaz behind the plate. He rips a shot through the gap at third for a leadoff single!
Yordan Álvarez up now and he goes down swinging on three pitches to end the inning but the Astros have taken the lead again here in the ninth, now leading 5-4.
Alex Bregman to the plate and he pokes a little line drive to second for Marcus Semien. Two away.
Mauricio Dubón up now and he lifts one to left field for Evan Carter. One out
JOSE ALTUVE HOME RUN
José Altuve will hit now and Grae Kessinger will pinch run for Jon Singleton. Altuve hits a shot to left! It is back to the wall! Evan Carter leaps for it but it is just beyond his glove! A three run shot puts the Astros back on top in the ninth!
Singleton works the count full. Leclerc's payoff delivery misses low and the tying run is on base.
Pinch hitter
Jon Singleton will hit for Martin Maldonado now.
Díaz strokes a shot into left field for a leadoff single.
Top 9th
Yainer Díaz will come on to pinch hit for Jeremy Peña leading off for the Astros as Travis Jankowski takes over in right field for the Rangers.
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Nathaniel Lowe to the plate and he gets jelly legged by a fastball down the middle for a called strike three.
We go to nine after an insane eighth with the Rangers leading by two.
Josh Jung up now with Taveras at first and Carter at third with one out. Pressly delivers three straight strikes and catches Jung swinging.
After all of the dust settles on that drama, Leody Taveras comes up to the plate to face Pressly. He rips a shot to first. Abreu is playing in and fields it, twisting and throwing from off his backside to second to get Jankowski! Carter advances to third.
Pitching change
Ryan Pressly comes on to take over on the mound. Travis Jankowski will pinch run for Garcia on first.
ADOLIS GARCIA EJECTED!
Adolis Garcia is out of the game as well. The umpires decided to simply clear the board and everyone is ejected.
ABREU EJECTED! DUSTY BAKER EJECTED!
The umpires decide that it was intentional and eject Bryan Abreu! That is a questionable call!
Dusty Baker is furious, and rightly so! The umpires waste no time, ejecting him as well! This is out of hand!
Adolis Garcia up now and the first pitch hits him. Immediately he jumps up and has words with Martín Maldonado. They are both in each other's face and the benches clear! This is getting out of hand!
Maldonado and Abreu are both saying that they were not trying to hit him, but Garcia is not buying it. To be fair, Maldonado isn't giving too much ground either.
Bottom 8th
Evan Carter will lead off for Texas as Michael Brantley takes over in left field for Houston. Five deliveries from Abreu and Carter draws a leadoff walk
Pitching change
The Astros bring on Bryan Abreu to close things out.
Brantley runs the count full before Leclerc's payoff delivery is lifted straight up. It is near the mound, and Leclerc looks like he wants to catch it. Jung and Lowe converge on it, calling him off and wisely he backs down. Lowe catches it to end the inning.
Pinch hitter
Dusty Baker responds by sendiing in Michael Brantley to hit for Chas McCormick.
Pitching change
Bruce Bochy wastes no time. He is bringing in his closer and swaps Chapman for Jose Leclerc.
Double
Kyle Tucker to the plate and he rips a shot down the line in left. It squirts it's way into the corner and Tucker is in with a two out standup double.
José Abreu the hitter now and he runs the count full as well. Chapman's payoff is lifted to right field and Adolis Garcia puts it away for the second out.
Top 8th
Yordan Álvarez will get things going in the eighth for Houston, facing the new pitcher. Chapman throws two balls and gets a pitch clock violation to make it 3-0. He pulls two strikes back to run the count full. The payoff catches Álvarez swinging at a 101 mph fastball for out number one.
Pitching change
Josh Sborz did his job and now will turn the mound over to Aroldis Chapman.
Corey Seager the hitter and gets a 3-1 count before grounding a splitter to first for Jose Abreu. The flip to pitcher Hector Neris covering the bag ends the inning.
Marcus Semien up now and he goes after the first pitch, nubbing a dribbler in front of the plate. Catcher Martin Maldonado comes out and fires it to first. Two down.
Bottom 7th
Jonah Heim will get things going for the Rangers and he rips a high fly ball to center field but it is not deep enough. Mauricio Dubón gets under it and it is one away.
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Alex Bregman the hitter and he gets called out on a generous called strike three.
Mauricio Dubón up now and he goes down swinging on four pitches. Two gone
José Altuve to the plate now representing the tying run. He rips a shot to left field on the first pitch. Evan Carter goes back to the wall and makes the leaping catch! That was a well hit ball!
Top 7th
Martín Maldonado will lead things off fo Houston in the seventh. He works the count full before the payoff delivery from Sborz misses high and Maldy draws a leadoff walk.
Mitch Garver the hitter now with runners on first and second and two outs. He lifts a fly ball to center field for Mauricio Dubón and the inning is over. But the Rangers have flipped the momentum on a three run blast from El Bombi.
After six, Houston 2 Texas 4.
Nathaniel Lowe will face the new pitcher and he draws a walk on four pitches.
Pitching change
That is going to be it for Justin Verlander and Dusty Baker strides out to the mound to take the ball from him, handing it to Hector Neris.
Josh Jung up now and he bloops a short shot to left center field that falls in for a single.
Leody Taveras goes after the first pitch and he lifts a pop fly to shallow center. Jeremy Peña drifts back from short to take it in for the second out.
ADOLIS GARCIA HOME RUN!
Adolis Garcia will stand in now with runners on the corners and one out. He blasts the first pitch to the moon! It is a deep home run to the deepest part of the park! Three runs and the Rangers take the lead! This place goes insane!
Evan Carter up now and he jumps on the first delivery, rapping it through into left for a single. Seager holds up at third.
Double
Corey Seager up now and he rips one down the line in right and into the corner! Seager rounds first and goes to second as Tucker's throw is not in time.
Bottom 6th
Marcus Semien leads off for the Rangers and he lifts a high pop up to short. Jeremy Peña gets under it and puts it away.
Jeremy Pena the hitter and he jumps on the first delivery and rips it up the middle. Marcus Semien dives, he has it! The throw to first and the Rangers get out of it!
The Astros retake the lead but it could have been so much more! They strand three and go up 2-1.
Chas McCormick up now and he lifts a bloop fly to shallow right. Adolis Garcia sprints in and catches it and with that momentum and his arm, there is no chance for Álvarez to score.
Pitching change
Bruce Bochy has seen enough and that is going to do it for Jordan Montgomery. He just ran out of steam after five and a third. Josh Sborz will come in to see if he can get the Rangers out of this jam.
Kyle Tucker up to the plate with runners still on the corners and still just one out. Montgomery walks him on four straight pitches and the bases are loaded.
Astros score
José Abreu the hitter now with men on the corners and one out. He rips a grounder to shortstop, directly at Corey Seager, but it is too hot to handle! It bounces off his glove into center field! Bregman scores! Álvarez advances to third!
Yordan Álvarez stands in and he fouls off three 2-2 deliveries in a row. The eighth pitch of the at-bat is grounded to right field for a single! Bregman advances to third on the play.
Alex Bregman up now and he draws a walk on five pitches.
Top 6th
Mauricio Dubón gets it going for the Astros and he goes down swinging on a peach of a curve ball from Montgomery.
Jonah Heim the hitter now and he pops one to short for Jeremy Peña to end the inning.
The Rangers pull things level on a solo Nathaniel Lowe home run. At the end of five it is Houston 1, Texas 1.
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Mitch Garver up now and he runs the count to 2-2 before a beautiful slider catches the top edge for a called strike. Two down.
NATHANIEL LOWE HOME RUN!
Nathaniel Lowe up now and he rocks one to deep right field! That is gone! The Rangers draw even on a solo home run! Tie ball game!
Bottom 5th
Josh Jung leads off for the Rangers and he lifts a long fly ball to right field. Kyle Tucker misread the hit initially, but was able to recover and pick it up on the track. One down.
José Altuve stands in now with runners on the corners. He tries to lay down a bunt for a base hit, but Jonah Heim is ready for it and pounces. A great throw gets him and the inning is over.
Martín Maldonado up now and he lifts the first pitch to right field for Adolis Garcia. Tucker tags and advances to third.
Jeremy Peña to the plate and he chops one to Seager at short. The flip to second is dropped by Semien! Everybody is safe!
Texas challenge the call, saying that he lost it in the transfer but the replay clearly shows that Semien never had it. The call is confirmed and Texas lose one challenge.
Chas McCormick up now and he lifts a fly ball to center field. Leody Taveras charges it and puts it away for the first out.
Top 5th
Kyle Tucker to get things started for Houston and he rips a single into right field for a leadoff hit.
Leody Taveras to the plate and he lifts a weak popup on the infield grass. Alex Bregman calls for it and ends the inning.
Adolis Garcia the hitter now and he is patient, working the count to 2-2 before lifting a routine fly ball to center field for Mauricio Dubón.
Bottom 4th
Evan Carter will lead off the fourth for the Rangers and he drives a fly ball to right field, but right at Kyle Tucker. One away
José Abreu the hitter and he goes down on a steady stream of low curve balls. Man! Montgomery has that pitch working!
Yordan Álvarez up now and he goes down swinging on three pitches. Two gone
Top 4th
Alex Bregman will lead off for Houston in the fourth and he works the count to 2-2, fouling off five in a row. The ninth delivery is lifted to right center field. Adolis Garcia on the run gets to it for the first out. He robbed a double or triple there!
Corey Seager jumps on the first pitch and lifts it out to left field but directly at Chas McCormick.
An opportunity wasted! The Rangers strand two. They back Verlander up and in two pitches, let him off!
After three, it is Houston 1, Texas 0
Marcus Semien the hitter now and runners are on the corners with one out. The first pitch is popped up to first base and now it is two down
Jonah Heim up now and he lays down a bunt, but it goes foul up the third base side. Another foul ball and Heim takes two balls to run the count 2-2. Verlander's delivery is slapped into right field for a single! Garver advances to third!
Mitch Garver to the plate and he is picky, drawing a walk on five pitches.
Bottom 3rd
Nathaniel Lowe leads off for Texas and he lifts one to deep left field, but Chas McCormick is there to put it away. One out.
Mauricio Dubón up now and he gets into an 1-2 hole before ripping a hotshot to short. Corey Seager nabs it and goes to first base to end the inning.
Jose Altuve the hitter now and he jumps on the first delivery, ripping a grounder to shortstop for Corey Seager. The throw to first and that is the second out.
Top 3rd
Martin Maldonado leads off for Houston and he lifts the second delivery to right for Adolis Garcia. One down
Josh Jung to the plate and he grounds a sharp one up the middle. Jeremy Peña dives and gets to it! He makes a great throw to end the inning! What a play by Peña!
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Leody Taveras up now and he works the count to 2-2 before being called out on an inside curve. A generous call by the ump.
Bottom 2nd
Adolis Garcia will lead things off for the Rangers and he chops the first one that he sees to third base. Bregman backhands it and makes a great throw to first for the out.
Jeremy Peña the hitter and he hacks a roller to short for Corey Seager. The throw to first ends the inning.
Chas McCormick up now and he works the count to 2-2 before chopping one to third for Josh Jung. The throw to first is in time. Two down
Top 2nd
Kyle Tucker leads off for the Astros and he taps a roller to second for Semien. The throw to first is one out.
Evan Carter to the dish and he works the count to 2-2 before going down on a foul tipped fastball, straight into the catcher's mitt.
Corey Seager to hit now and he lifts a high pop up, too, this time to third base. Alex Bregman gets under it and it is two away.
Semien gets under one, skying it to second for José Altuve. On down.
Bottom 1st
The Astros take the field as Justin Verlander will go to work on the Rangers, facing Marcus Semien to get things started.
José Abreu to the plate now with a runner on first and he rips one straight back at Montgomery. It bounces off his foot to short, Corey Seager fields it and flips it to Semien at second to get the force out and end the inning.
The Astros draw first blood, though, on a shot from Alex Bregman.
Yordan Álvarez up now and he runs the count full as Monty stays low with everything. The payoff delivery is lined into center field for a base hit.
ALEX BREGMAN HOME RUN
Alex Bregman the hitter and he takes a sinker for strike before cranking a blast to left field! Alex Bregman home run and just like that the Astros are up!
Mauricio Dubón up now and he goes after the first pitch as well. Same spot, same result. Semien to Lowe and two are out.
Altuve jumps on the first delivery and grounds one straight to Marcus Semien at second. The throw to first gets the first out.
First pitch
The Rangers are on the field and ready to go to work behind Jordan Montgomery. He will face José Altuve to lead off the top of the first here in Game 5.
The crowd is up for it tonight in Globe Life and the home plate umpire signals that we are ready to go.
Let's play some baseball!
STARTING LINEUPS
The Home Team
Rangers Batting Order
1. Semien (2B) *R
2. Seager (SS) *L
3. Carter (LF) *L
4. García (RF) *R
5. Taveras (CF) *S
6. Jung (3B) *R
7. Lowe (1B) *L
8. Garver (DH) *R
9. Heim (C) *S
The Visitors
Astros Batting Order
1. Altuve (2B) *R
2. Dubón (CF) *R
3. Bregman (3B) *R
3. Álvarez (DH) *L
5. Abreu (1B) *R
6. Tucker (RF) *L
7. McCormick (LF) *R
2. Peña (SS) *R
9. Maldonado (C) *R
STARTING PITCHERS REGULAR SEASON STATS
TEXAS RANGERS
Jordan Montgomery (LHP)
10 - 11
3.20 ERA
166 K
188.2 IP
1.19 WHIP
HOUSTON ASTROS
Justin Verlander (RHP)
13 - 8
3.22 ERA
144 K
162.1 IP
1.13 WHIP
PITCHING
It is a repeat of Game 1 in the pitching matchup, as both teams field their aces. The Rangers will turn to Jordan Montgomery, who has been golden since coming to Texas at the trade deadline. In Game 1, the Astros were blanked over 6.1 innings by the big left-hander and he has been equally problematic for them when he was with the Cardinals.
The Astros will counter this with an ace of their own in Justin Verlander. He was just as dominant as his counterpart over 6.2 innings, eventually surrendering two runs in that loss. Texas are no luckier against Verlander than Houston are agains Monty, but they will feel that the matchup at the very least levels the playing field, in hopes that they can beat the Astros to the punch with the bats.
WELCOME!!!
Welcome to the Diario AS USA live commentary of Game 5 of this historic All-Texas ALCS between the Texas Rangers and the Houston Astros presents the final opportunity for the Rangers to get a win in Arlington.
With the series tied at two games apiece, the question is one of trends. The Astros have won two after falling behind and they have also got a nice trend of winning on the road in Arlington. But the Rangers have got a trend of winning behind Jordan Montgomery.
Houston, enviably, is perhaps the only team in baseball, perhaps even in world sport, that is never truly down. They can win even when losing. They can come back from any deficit and have done so, repeatedly, for years. All of this has given them an air of invincibility, one that they wear like a cloak. And their players, coaches, staff, and fans, are well aware of it, taking on a kind of swagger that accompanies only the most successful in life.
The issue facing Texas is one of perception. They have a ton of talent, on both sides of the ball. In raw ability, they outstack the Astros in nearly every position. But they are gangly in it, often finding it difficult to coordinate the various components of their team. They either pitch well, or hit well, or defend well, but rarely all three at once.
To quote Agatha Christie, “The mantle of life should fit like a well-tailored suit of clothes.” Sometimes, for all their talent, success does not hang so well on the Texas Rangers.