After battling through the regular season, the Texas Rangers and the Houston Astros will square off in the American League Championship Series, which gets underway at Minute Maid Park on Sunday

The Rangers are currently enjoying their longest playoff run since their consecutive World Series appearances in 2010 and 2011, and their first since the 2016 campaign. After six straight seasons with a record below.500, their 90-72 regular season mark represented a dramatic turnaround.

The Rangers’ success has been largely attributed to the addition of stars and blue-chip prospects to the squad. After agreeing to a long-term contract after the 2021 season, former Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager found a home with the Rangers.

The 29-year-old had a season worthy of an MVP, and he is hitting in five postseason games.429/.680/.857 with 11 walks, three doubles, one home run, and three RBI.

After winning five games in a row against the Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles, the Rangers won the AL Division Series and the Wild Card Series. Their first line of attack will be a potent offense led by seasoned starters Jordan Montgomery, former Dodgers lefty Andrew Heaney, and maybe Max Scherzer.

Texas overcame a collapse in the AL West race after losing the Astros’ divisional stranglehold in the closing stages. In spite of dealing with an indecisive starting rotation and sporadic injuries, manager Dusty Baker’s Astros have advanced to the ALCS once more thanks to the addition of veteran arm Justin Verlander to their front end.

The Astros are attempting to win the World Series once more as they compete in their sixth straight ALCS. Despite losing nine out of thirteen games in 2023 against the Rangers, Houston still prevailed in the regular season after winning 106 games the previous year.