It may be hard to remember in the wake of Adolis Garcia's incredible grand slam, but ultimately two catchers kept the Rangers alive last night. Their starter, Jonah Heim, and their backup, Mitch Garver.
The two of them were responsible for the entirety of the Texas points against the Rangers in the first eight innings. It also just proves how good these guys have been this year. Heim has been versatile, providing great power, great defense and great overall presence. Garver, with more time at DH, has become a proven power bat, rivaling even his Twins numbers, and might be more valuable here than he was on the 2019 team. Heim has already been really good this postseason, but that two run homer in the fourth was the deciding move last night. Even after the grand slam, the Astros couldn't come near this team, thanks mainly to Nate Eovaldi and friends keeping the pitching down.
This type of performance is exactly what I'd hoped for when I saw the Rangers were facing elimination. They needed a solid, swift defeat of the unpredictable Astros, and that's exactly what this was. Adolis did make it a flashier win than I previously thought was needed, but I'm fine with an exclamation point.
And so today could be the day we find out our World Series matchup. The Rangers will probably be putting up Max Scherzer, who is hopefully in better shape than he was during Game 3, while the Astros will likely be putting up Cristian Javier, who's been dangerous this postseason. I am really hoping something clicks with Scherzer, or if Dunning or somebody can provide the cover the Rangers need to pull this out. It would be amazing to see someone new take the World Series, and thereby confirm that this year's winner will be someone who hasn't won in at least 15 years, or even ever.
I'm hoping for good things for the Rangers, and for the Phillies. May this supposedly super-cool WS matchup come to fruition by any means necessary.
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