Javier the Alligator Brings the Astros Off the Cliff

The Houston Astros earned a valuable win in enemy territory. The Astros won 8-5 in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series (ALCS) held at Global Life Field in Arlington, Texas on the 19th, earning their first away win after two consecutive losses at home. Game 3 on this day was like a desperate game for the Astros. If they lost Game 3 to the Rangers, who are on an undefeated streak of 7 consecutive wins this postseason, it would have been difficult to break their momentum in Game 4 as well.

Those worries disappeared when starting pitcher Christian Javier (26) threw the ball. Javier led the game with a good pitch, allowing only one walk until the fourth inning. After allowing a double to Evan Carter in the 6th inning with 2 outs, he allowed 3 hits and 2 runs over 5 2/3 innings until he came off the mound. Ock’s fault was giving up a 2-run home run to Rangers’ Josh Young (25) in the 5th inning.

Javier, from the Dominican Republic, is in his fourth year in the big league. Starting in 2022, he was named in the starting rotation. 11 wins in 2022, 10 wins in 2023. However, his value skyrockets once he enters the postseason. He has appeared in 15 games since 2020, with 5 wins and 1 loss, and an earned run average of 1.91. He was said to never get excited no matter where the stage was, so he was nicknamed ‘El Retil (meaning “reptile” in Spanish). He says he would rather be called ‘crocodile’. The reason is that crocodiles usually move little, but once they enter the water, they become aggressive.

The Astros’ batting lineup succeeded in taking down Rangers ace Max Scherzer (39), who was making his first appearance this postseason, in the early going. In the second inning, with two outs, two walks and a single, and the bases loaded with two outs, he scored the first run with a wild pitch, and then Martin Maldonado brought two runners home with a hit to left. In the third inning, ‘Little Giant’ Jose Altuve hit a solo home run. Altuve hit his 25th home run in the postseason, coming within four of Manny Ramirez’s record of 29 home runs. The Astros solidified their victory in the 8th inning with Jordan Alvarez’s 2 RBI and timely hit. The Rangers went on a last-minute chase, with Josh Young hitting two two-run home runs, but they were unable to make up for the early losses and suffered their first loss since their seven-game winning streak in the postseason.스포츠토토

Rangers starting pitcher Scherzer stood at the Texas Rangers’ home stadium in the postseason for the first time in 12 years. On October 16, 2011, he started Game 6 of the American League Championship Series for the Detroit Tigers. My grades were terrible. He had only 7 outs and was pulled out during the third inning, with the Rangers winning 15 to 5 at the time. Scherzer came off the mound with his head down again this year. 4 innings, 5 hits, 5 runs allowed. He is a veteran pitcher with a total of 214 regular season wins and an earned run average of 3.15, but he is struggling with 7 wins and 8 losses in the fall. He is on a three-game winning streak to the postseason starting in 2021.