A jubilant Texas Rangers squad
The Texas Rangers swept the Baltimore Orioles to become the first team to advance to Major League Baseball's (MLB) American League Championship Series (ALCS).
Texas defeated the Baltimore Orioles 7-1 in Game 3 of the best-of-five American League Division Series (ALDS) at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on Nov. 11.
With wins of 3-2 in Game 1 and 11-8 in Game 2, Texas enters the ALCS with a 3-0 series lead.
Texas has won five straight games in the postseason this season, including two straight over the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Wild Card Series.
Texas opened the scoring in the top of the first inning with a solo home run to right field by Corey Seager.
On a 1-ball-1 strike, Seager pulled a low changeup over the right field fence.
Texas' bats exploded in the second inning.
With two on and one out, Marcus Simeon hit a double to left field and Dean Kramer reached on an intentional walk.
Texas didn't waste the opportunity to load the bases. Mitch Garber hit a two-run double down the left field line that cleared the third baseman to make it 3-0.
With runners on second and third, Adolis Garcia blasted a three-run home run to left field to extend the lead to 6-0.
After the blast, Garcia threw his bat away as if he realized he had hit a home run, and he even raised some eyebrows with his clumsy walk to first base.
Garcia finished the day 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBIs and one run scored.
Texas then extended its lead as Nathan Ivaldi pitched seven innings of five-hit ball, striking out seven and walking one.
Texas scored a run in the fifth inning and added one more in the sixth to cruise to the win.
Baltimore finished the regular season with a 101-61 record and a .623 winning percentage, topping the American League in winning percentage and making the postseason for the first time in seven years since 2016, but packed their bags without a single win.
Texas will play the winner of the Houston Astros-Minnesota Twins game for a ticket to the World Series. 카지노사이트존