ARLINGTON, Texas — For the first time in the 2023 MLB postseason, the Texas Rangers finished a game in the loss column.
The Rangers fell to the Houston Astros 8-5 in Game 3 of the ALCS on Wednesday night. Texas now leads the series 2-1 with Game 4 happening Thursday night.
With Rangers 39-year-old pitcher Max Scherzer returning from a shoulder injury to start Game 3, the Astros came out hot and scored three runs in the second inning. Scherzer didn't last long on the mound, giving up five runs on five hits before Cody Bradford relieved him in the fifth inning.
Cristian Javier was the starting pitcher for the Astros in Game 3. He lasted 5 2-3 innings, giving up two runs on three hits.
Those two runs for the Rangers came in the fifth inning thanks to a home run from Josh Jung. The 25-year-old third baseman hit a second two-run homer in the seventh inning, but it wouldn't be enough to mount a comeback as the Astros were too strong at the plate tonight.
Houston ended the game with eight runs, which is the most Texas has given up since Sept. 29, 2023, when the team lost 8-0 to the Seattle Mariners in the regular season. In Game 3, Astros second baseman Jose Altuve went 2-5 at the plate, hitting a home run in the third inning while Astros center fielder Mauricio Dubon went 3-4 at the plate as well.
During a break in action of the game Wednesday night, Globe Life Field started playing some karaoke for fans to sing along with. As the Creed song "Higher" began to play, the ballpark's jumbotron showed all four members of Creed in the crowd singing along to their own song.
Game 4 of the ALCS will take place in Arlington with the first pitch happening at 7:03 p.m. again. Texas hasn't named who will be the team's starting pitcher yet.
“We are going to hold off before we list our starter,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Tuesday. “Because I don’t know how [Game 3] is going to go, to be honest."
The Astros win now guarantees the series will be going back to Houston for Game 5. The first pitch for that game is set to happen at 4:07 p.m. on Friday.