In Game 1 of the American League Championship Series (ALCS) between the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros, Evan Carter’s remarkable catch became the highlight of the game. The Rangers emerged victorious, thanks in part to Carter’s exceptional fielding, which helped the team secure a win. Carter’s catch exemplified the team’s determination and skill in the series opener. The play showcased the intensity and competitiveness of the ALCS and set the tone for what promises to be an exciting series between the two division rivals..
As Jose Altuve scampered back to first base, Corey Seager relayed a throw to Marcus Semien, who stomped on the second-base bag emphatically.
For the moment, Altuve was ruled safe. But Semien knew. Seager knew. And Altuve probably knew, too – he’d committed a significant gaffe in a crucial moment of a playoff game.
Of course, Evan Carter’s latest bit of playoff heroics had a great deal to do with that.
Game 1 of the American League Championship Series was put to bed after a wild sequence featuring a diverse cast of playoff heroes old and new. But it was Carter’s wonderful catch that set the sequence in motion and preserved a 2-0 Rangers victory to gain the upper hand in this ALCS.
For Carter, it’s not pressure, just fun – even as he’s only been in the big leagues for a month yet has mastered the art of playoff baseball these past two weeks. In Game 1, he kick-started the Rangers’ victory, hitting a hustle double off Justin Verlander and scoring the game’s first run – all Texas would need – in the top of the second inning.
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Sunday’s final act was even more compelling.
After Josh Sborz issued a leadoff walk to Altuve in the bottom of the eighth, the Rangers summoned Aroldis Chapman to record the next three outs. The history was rich: Chapman’s last ALCS appearance in Houston ended with Altuve hitting a walk-off Game 6 home run to send the Astros to the 2019 World Series.
Chapman was also the walk-off loser at Minute Maid Park in Game 2 of the 2017 ALCS, Altuve racing home with the winning run on a Carlos Correa double.
Suddenly, many of the principals would meet again.
Chapman was tabbed to face Alex Bregman, who skied a slider to deep left field. With Minute Maid Park’s Crawford Boxes lurking just 315 feet away from the plate, hearts raced throughout the state.
Carter, who made his major league debut Sept. 8, had never played in Minute Maid Park and its funky outfield. Saturday, teammates Robbie Grossman – a former Astro – and Travis Jankowski went out there with the rookie and showed him, as he said, “showing me the ropes.”
Lesson learned. Carter scampered back to the wall, leapt and pulled the ball out of the sky as much as it fell from it. That paired with his early bit of hustle only burnished a postseason rep in a second season where he has seven hits in 18 at-bats (a .388 average) and a .520 on-base percentage.
“We’re playing a game. And it’s a fun one, too,” he told reporters Sunday night. “I’m just out here having a great time. I have a lot of great teammates around me.”
The play was just halfway over. Altuve ostensibly did the right thing. He got to second base and froze – no Bryce Harper uber-aggression here – and then scampered back to first after Carter’s catch.
But it seemed everybody but Altuve saw him fail to re-touch second after edging past the bag. It was not a hard sell by Semien and Seager to convince manager Bruce Bochy to challenge the call.
“That was close,” said Astros manager Dusty Baker. “He had his foot still on the bag. And that was a matter of interpretation. But his left foot was past the bag.”
It was overturned. Double play. And four outs later, the Rangers had the upper hand.
While it seems they’ve been in the playoffs forever – and on the road for all but one game of it – the Rangers still have seven more wins to reach their goal. They don’t anticipate their rookie hitting a wall any time soon.
Maybe just scaling them or sending balls over them.
“He’s got the youthful enthusiasm and he’s just excited to be here,” said Bochy. “He’s not in awe of anything. Just no fear in this kid since he’s come up.”
In Game 1 of the American League Championship Series, the Texas Rangers defeated the Houston Astros 2-0 thanks to a wild sequence of events. Evan Carter, a rookie who has excelled in playoff games, kick-started the Rangers’ victory with a hustle double and run. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Carter made a spectacular catch to save a potential home run by Alex Bregman. However, it was later revealed that Jose Altuve, who reached second base during the play, failed to re-touch the bag, resulting in a double play. The Rangers currently have the upper hand in the series.
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