HOUSTON — Max Scherzer has been here before. Almost exactly here before.
In 2019, the right-hander took the mound for the Washington Nationals in Game 7 of the World Series at Minute Maid Park in Houston.
On Monday night, he'll do the same, except in a Texas Rangers uniform and in the American League Championship Series.
Few settings in sports compare to a Game 7 on the road, regardless of the round. And Scherzer will be aiming to have history repeat itself.
In that 2019 matchup against the Astros, Scherzer threw five innings of two-run ball, allowing seven hits and four walks.
Current Astros Michael Brantley, Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez collected singles against Scherzer in the game, and Brantley, Alvarez and Alex Bregman drew walks.
The two Astros runs came on a Yuli Gurriel homer and a Carlos Correa single that scored Gurriel.
Scherzer left the game with the Nationals trailing 2-0. But it was a solid enough start to keep Washington in the game.
The Nationals went on to score three runs in the seventh, a run in the eighth and a run in the ninth to beat Houston 6-2 and claim the World Series crown.
Scherzer didn't get credit for the win, but he kept the Astros' powerful offense at bay. And if you told Texas they'd get five innings of two-run ball out of Scherzer on Monday night, manager Bruce Bochy would likely sign up for it.
Scherzer is expected to be on a short leash regardless, as Texas has its entire bullpen available, thanks, in part, to Nathan Eovaldi.
Eovaldi pitched 6.1 innings in Sunday night's Game 6 win, allowing Texas to avoid any overuse from the bullpen. Josh Sborz and Jose Leclerc threw 16 pitches apiece, and Andrew Heaney only needed four to get through the ninth.
Scherzer's history in Game 7 is one thing. The Rangers have an advantage in another trend, too.
Manager Bruce Bochy has never lost a Game 7, beating St. Louis in the National League Championship Series in 2012, and Kansas City in the World Series in 2014, both times when he was with the Giants.
Astros manager Dusty Baker is looking for his first Game 7 win. He lost to the Angels as the Giants manager in the 2002 World Series and lost to the Marlins when he was the Cubs manager in 2003.
And Baker and the Astros lost the last ALCS Game 7 in 2020, to the Rays.
More Texas Rangers coverage from WFAA: