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DALLAS - Texas baseball fans are counting down to the start of the American League Championship Series. The Texas Rangers and the Houston Astros will face off this weekend.
It’s a series a lot of people were hoping for – a showdown between the Lone Star State rivals.
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The winner will head to the World Series.
This is the first time two Texas teams have met in the playoffs.
For the Rangers, this is their first championship series since 2011.
ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 06: Marcus Semien #2 of the Texas Rangers hits a one RBI single in the fifth inning during the game between the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field on Wednesday, September 6, 2023 in Arlington, Texas. …
But it isn’t the Astros’ first rodeo. They’ve made it this far for the past seven years in a row.
The last time the two met in Houston in July, emotions were high as Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien was not happy that he got hit by a pitch.
He ended up scoring. But when he did, the benches cleared and he and Houston’s catcher were ejected, feeding into the drama this series may see.
"That’s the way baseball should be. You know, you’re their opponent. So, I don’t think it should be a love fest out there. Do you? I think the focus will be on executing whatever you need to do out there as far as pitching, or position playing. Getting the job done, do your job-type attitude, that’s where the focus is. Don’t let your emotions get away from you. You go out there and put together a good ball game," he said.
Tickets for home Games 3, 4, and 5 (if necessary) at Globe Life Field go on sale Friday at 10.
Only a limited number of single and standing-room tickets are left.
Game 1 is on Sunday on FOX 4 after an NFL double header.