The Houston Astros earned their first win of the ALCS in Game 3 Wednesday night, defeating the Texas Rangers 8-5 on the road. Houston now trails 2-1 in the best-of-seven series and can even the score with another road victory on Thursday.

In his first start since suffering a muscle strain in early September, Max Scherzer was dull in his 28th career postseason appearance. Though he became the second pitcher ever to make postseason starts for five different teams, his playoff debut for Texas was not memorable for good reason. He allowed five runs on five innings in four innings of work before exiting.

“I thought he had good stuff,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy told reporters. “He’s a little rusty. It’s been a month since he’s been out there. He’s only going to get better. He feels good. That’s the good news.”

Scherzer told reporters after the game that he had mixed feelings about his performance, arguing that he did better than the box score might suggest.

“In these situations, look there’s some bad in this I get it, but that’s what you kinda gotta tune out and look at the good,” Scherzer said. “Look, I made some mistakes, I get it. I got punished for it. There were some good things I did as well. … I’m not going to sit here and beat myself down.”

The Astros and Rangers have now played three closely contested games, with the pair matching up well on the mound and at the plate. Texas took Games 1 and 2 on the road by 2-0 and 5-4 scores, respectively, meaning that there has not yet been a home win for either team heading into Game 4.

Both teams are reaching the bottom of their rotations as the series reaches a potential midway point, as the Rangers’ Andrew Heaney and Astros’ Jose Urquidy are expected to match up this evening. Urquidy was one of Houston’s heroes in the ALDS, as he led the team to a win over the Twins to clinch that series. Heaney had several bad outings for Texas during the regular season, inflating his ERA, but also recorded 151 strikeouts in 28 starts.

Justin Verlander’s performance Wednesday night against the New York Yankees was singularly impressive, a solid six-inning outing in which he struck out 11 batters to give the Houston Astros a one-game lead in the ALCS. In the context of his career, however, it means even more, another chapter in the future Hall-of-Famer’s routine domination of the Bronx Bombers over the last decade.

Since 2011, Verlander has faced the Yankees in the postseason eight times as a member of the Detroit Tigers and Astros. The team he started for won six of those games, with the pair of losses coming eight years apart in 2011 and 2019. Between 2006 and 2019, the Yankees have faced off against teams featuring Verlander in five postseason series. They have never advanced past him.

Verlander’s most recent win Wednesday was the sixth straight time in which he has held the Yankees to five hits or less in the playoffs, allowing three on this occasion. Despite the loss in 2019, he has now held New York to two runs or less in five of their last six postseason matchups.

After reviewing this reign in full, it’s difficult to avoid the conclusion that Verlander has been one of the key contributors to the Yankees’ postseason struggles over the last decade. Despite consistently strong regular season performances and healthy payrolls, the team has not reached the World Series since 2009. Many have argued that their power-hitting lineup has not been enough to compensate for a relatively weak starting rotation over the years.

Those issues seemed to be a thing of the past earlier this season when Gerrit Cole was nearly pitching like an ace and Nestor Cortes appeared as a sudden revelation. But then the team collapsed in the second half, and it took Aaron Judge’s historic home run chase to breathe new life into the team ahead of the postseason. After all these years, the 108-win Astros were still better in 2022, and Wednesday night’s game served as a cruel reminder. Despite his advanced age, Verlander continues to give the Yankees’ opponents the advantage in the playoffs.

Game 2 of the ALCS kicks off tonight, and though the Yankees won’t have to deal with Verlander again, Astros pitcher Frambler Valdez is a talent in his own right. New York pitcher Luis Severino, on the other hand, is still looking for his first postseason win against the Astros, having appeared in two losing efforts in 2017 and another in 2019. In his only playoff appearance this season, Severino allowed three runs to the Cleveland Guardians in a game the Yankees went on to lose 6-5. Cleveland’s offense is significantly weaker than Houston’s, which features Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez and Alex Bregman.

As New York proved against Cleveland, there’s life for the Yankees as long as there’s a game left to play. But Game 1 of the ALCS felt more like an inescapably familiar tune than anything new for the organization. The path to the World Series is as clear as it’s ever been, but Verlander and company remain the perpetual obstacle.

On Monday, the Boston Red Sox defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 6-5 and leveled up to the ALCS. The game 4 match-up ended the American League Divisional Series and made for a dramatic event in Boston.

The Red Sox were off to a dream start after rallying to score five runs in the bottom of the third inning. The series was 2-1 in favor of Boston, and this was turning out to be one of their easiest ALDS wins in recent history. However, the Rays showed desire and grit to keep Boston fans on the edge of their seats starting in the top of the fifth.

Austin Meadows grounded out to first to drive in Jordan Luplow with Tampa’s first score of the game. Tampa’s push intensified after Wander Franco hit a 418-foot bomb into the stands to add two runs to the scoreboard in the top of the sixth. After slowly but steadily climbing back out of an early hole, Kevin Kiermair scored his second run of the game to spur a comeback and send Red Sox fans into a nervous frenzy. It was 5-5 heading into the bottom of the ninth.

Then, just like that, with a possible late come-from-behind loss in the back of his mind, Enrique Hernandez stepped up to the plate. Hernandez overcame the pressure and Fenway Park erupted – seemingly trying to shake its way onto the Richter Scale – after he cracked a J.P Feyereisen pitch to the left-center field which drove Danny Santana to score.

Boston is now in the American League Championship Series following Monday’s victory and their win against the New York Yankees in the Wild Card Game. Their opponent is yet to be decided as the Chicago White Sox and the Houston Astros duke it out for the spot. The ALCS Game 1 will take place on Oct. 15.

In Game five of the ALCS between the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros, Yankees fans took it upon themselves to make the few Astros fans in the Bronx feel not just unwelcome, but also harassed.

Yankees fans berated their Astros counterparts until they got up and left the seats they had paid to sit in. The Yankees, however, would go on to lose the series in the next game and it will instead be Houston heading to face the Washington Nationals in the World Series this year.

Astros pitcher Lance McCullers wanted to make sure that these fans harassed at Yankee Stadium felt supported by their home team, so he decided to offer them tickets to Game one of the World Series.

Nathan Rocha, a consummate Houston fan, described how the night began simply with insulting words and then escalated from there.

“They’re yelling, ‘We smell oil and tacos in here,’” Rocha said. “And we’re just laughing. It’s not going to hurt us. We’re from Houston.”

However, the situation began to escalate even as security began to appear in the area:

“I’m carrying the tray of fries, and he was like, ‘Let’s take a picture,” said Astros fan Cruz Arcia. “It was a selfie, and then that’s when the guy says, ‘Hey, this is going to be funny.’ And I see him, his hand moving. I thought he’s going to hit the tray, and that’s when all the fries get on my shirt and you can see on the video where the cheese gets all over my clothes.”

The appearance of security guards did little to deter the crudeness of those Yankees fans, as some even began to threaten physical violence.

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“With security they were still throwing things at us,” Kristina Contreras said. “They were willing to hit a girl with a cop there.”

This is not the first instance of crass behavior by Yankees fans. After Houston took massive damage from a hurricane in 2017, the Astros went to play the Yankees and New York fans stood up and relentlessly chanted “Harvey” at the Astros, the name of the storm that destroyed people’s homes and livelihoods that year.

The 2017 national champion Astros and their fans now have the last laugh, however as they will be the ones moving on to the World Series; Rocha, Arcia, and Contreras will be right there for Game one, cheering on McCullers and the rest of the team.

“I’d do it again,” Arcia said. “Whether it’s beer, popcorn, whatever — I’m a Houston fan. I’ll still rep over there.”

Game one of the World Series is set for Tuesday night in Houston. The contest will begin at 8:08 p.m. EST and air on FOX.

It was all cheers and tears as C.C. Sabathia‘s made his final pitch as a Major League baseball player. As reported earlier, he was not going to start in the playoffs, but was available for relief.

Sabathia was battling injuries all year long. Instead of calling it a career after his last setback during the regular season, he came back for a final start, which was met with a lot of emotions from player and fans. It was his last major league start at home. No word was given whether he would be in the roster for the playoff at the time, so the assumption that this was his last appearance in pinstripes was valid.

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But then, down two games to one against Houston, the New York Yankees were down 7-3 when Sabathia came in as relief in the eight inning. When the skipper Aaron Boone called for Sabathia, he was visibly emotional. Sabathia inherited two runners at the corners (one on a fielding error). He was pitching well, getting a few infield ground balls; but one of them was not fielded properly and ended up loading the bases. After a pitch to the next batter, he knew there was something wrong.

Sabathia briefly touched his shoulder, but walked around trying to stay in the game. The trainer and coach Girardi went on to the field to talk to Sabathia. After a warm up pitch, he begrudgingly walked back to the dugout.

It was a bittersweet moment of sportsmanship as the whole crowd rallied around him, including fans with both jerseys and Astros players giving him a standing ovation. Sabathia got to the steps of the hallway leading to the locker room, sat down, and put his head down away from the cameras.

It was the end of two decades of Sabathia. The Astros won 8-3 and are down three to one in the series.

The next game is Friday at 7:10 p.m. EST.

In the 11^th inning last night in Houston, star shortstop Carlos Correa belted a solo shot over the right-field wall to give the Astros the 3-2 in extra innings. With no outs in the inning, Yankees southpaw J.A. Happ served up a cutter that Correa tagged for 394 feet and the ballgame.

From there on, adrenaline carried Correa around the bases. “As soon as I hit it,’’ Correa said, “I knew it was going over the fence. The adrenaline started pumping like crazy. I don’t even know what I did. I’ve got to go watch the video. But I know I was hyped.’’

This Astros win evened up the series at one game apiece after falling to the Bronx Bombers 7-0 in game one. Despite being the favorites coming into the series, the Astros dropped game one after SP Zack Greinke got hit around by the high-powered New York lineup.

In game two, however, the pitching staff of the Astros was instrumental in their victory. After starter Justin Verlander went 6.2 innings allowing just 2 runs while striking out 7, the Houston bullpen combined to toss 4.1 innings, only surrendering one hit and no runs. Reliever Roberto Osuna worked 1.2 innings striking out 2 Yankee batters whilst not surrendering a run nor a hit.

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The Yankees’ bullpen, until the 11^th, was equally as dominant: recording 23 straight outs before Correa’s home run.

Correa, however, has struggled so far this postseason with a hitting line of .136/.136/.182 and 10 strikeouts in 22 plate appearances. The bigger concern has been his ongoing back injury which forced him to lay in the aisle of the airplane on the team flight to St. Petersburg during the ALDS.

Astros’ third baseman, Alex Bregman, however, is not concerned: “He was born for October,” Bregman said.

Similarly, Jose Altuve recounts his pregame conversation with Correa, primed for a breakout night. “He told me before the game,’’ the Astros’ second baseman said, “and he was like, “Josey, I think I’m going to do something big tonight.’ He really did.’’

The series heads back to the Bronx on Tuesday afternoon for game three. Luis Severino will toe the rubber for the Yankees, squaring off against arguably the most dominant ace in baseball this year, Gerrit Cole.

With the series tied 1-1, game three is sure to be one you won’t want to miss.

The defending World Series champion Houston Astros will host the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night for Game 3 of the AL Championship Series, and here is what you need to know.

Astros Host Red Sox For ALCS Game 3

The series is tied 1-1 after Boston won 7-5 on Sunday.

On Tuesday, the Red Sox are set to start righty Nathan Eovaldi, while the Astros will put Dallas Keuchel on the mound. Tuesday’s game in Houston will start at 5:09 p.m. EST and will air on TBS. It can also be live-streamed for free on fuboTV.

The Red Sox lost lefty ace Chris Sale to a stomach illness this weekend, which means Eovaldi will be the first right-hander to start for Boston in the ALCS (Lefty David Price also started in this series).

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Keuchel was dominant against the Cleveland Indians in Game 3 of the ALDS (two runs in five innings). He finished the regular season 12-11 with a 3.74 ERA.

On the other side, the Milwaukee Brewers lead the NLCS 2-1 after beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0 in Game 3 on Monday night.

The Los Angeles Dodgers lead the Chicago Cubs 2-0 in the National League Championship Series following a 4-1 home victory on Sunday thanks to a game-ending three-run homer from Justin Turner.

NLCS Game 3 Preview

The Dodgers are now two wins away from reaching their first World Series since 1988, when they beat the heavily-favorited Oakland Athletics in five games.

Here is a preview of the rest of the Dodgers-Cubs playoff series:

Game 3 (Los Angeles at Chicago): Tuesday, October 17 at 9 p.m. ET. on TBS

Game 4 (Los Angeles at Chicago): Wednesday, October 18 at 9 p.m. ET. on TBS

*Game 5 (Los Angeles at Chicago): Thursday, October 19 at 8 p.m. ET. on TBS

*Game 6 (Chicago at Los Angeles): Saturday, October 21 at 4 p.m. ET. on TBS

*Game 7 (Chicago at Los Angeles): Sunday, October 22 at 7:30 p.m. ET. on TBS

*If necessary

Right-hander Yu Darvish (10-12, 3.86 ERA) is set to start for the Dodgers on Tuesday, while Kyle Hendricks (7-5, 3.03 ERA) will take the mound for the reigning national champion Cubs. Darvish delivered five strong innings in Game 3 of the NLDS last week against Arizona, allowing one run on two hits, walking none and striking out seven. Hendricks, meanwhile, was outstanding in Game 1 of the NLDS against Washington but allowed four runs on nine hits in four frames in Game 5.

According to BleacherReporter, the Cubs will win Game 3, but the Dodgers will regain their NLCS lead by taking Game 4.

In the American League Championship Series, the Houston Astros lead the New York Yankees 2-0 after a 2-1 win on Saturday. Game 3 is at 8 pm EST on Monday at Yankee Stadium, and the contest will air on FS1.

CC Sabathia (14-5, 3.69 ERA) will start for the Yankees. The righty out-pitched Cleveland’s Corey Kluber twice in the ALDS, and has now gone 9-5 in 20 playoff starts. Right-hander Charlie Morton (14-7, 3.62 ERA) will take the mound for Houston. Morton held Boston to two runs on seven hits over 4 1/3 innings in the ALDS while fanning six and walking two. His 3.62 ERA during the regular season was his lowest since 2013.

 LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 15: Justin Turner #10 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a three-run walk-off home run in the ninth inning to defeat the Chicago Cubs 4-1 in game two of the National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium on October 15, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Trevor Bauer was forced out of Game 3 of the American League Championship Series on Monday night following a bloody finger stemming from a freak injury, but the Cleveland Indians nevertheless came away with a 4-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.

Indians’ Trevor Bauer Forced Out Of Game 3, 4-2 Win Over Blue Jays; Cleveland Leads ALCS 3-0

The Indians now lead the ALCS 3-0, and are one win away from reaching the World Series for the first time since 1997. Guided by another strong outing from Andrew Miller, six relievers appeared for the Tribe, helping the team become the first in playoff history to win without having at least one pitcher record more than five outs.

Indians team president Chris Antonetti summed it up best.

“I don’t think anyone could’ve written this script,” Antonetti said.

Bauer was pitching with stitches in his right pinkie finger after suffering a cut in a drone accident, and in the bottom of the first the stitches opened up and turned his throwing hand into a bloody mess. Bauer left the game after only two outs.

He tweeted this photo and message following the game:

After the righty’s exit, the Cleveland bullpen put together 8 1/3 fantastic innings. Miller closed it out, earning three strikeouts in 1 1/3 frames to earn the save and build on his great month. The left-hander now has an ALCS-record 13 strikeouts out of the bullpen for the Indians, who became the fifth team in history to open the postseason with a winning streak of at least six games. (The 2014 Royals started 8-0, and the ’07 Rockies started 7-0. Both lost the World Series.)

Mike Napoli opened scoring for the Tribe with an RBI double in the first, and then gave Cleveland a 2-1 lead with a solo homer off Toronto starter Marcus Stroman in the fourth. Stroman went 5 1/3 innings in a losing effort, and Jason Kipnis also scored off him.

“What words do you even put on that? Unbelievable, right?” Bauer said of the bullpen’s showing. “They came in and did what they’ve done all year. They shut the game down easily.”

The Indians have reached this point without starters Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco, and while dealing with recent health setbacks for ace Corey Kluber and Bauer.

The primary reason the Indians find themselves in this position has been their dominance on the mound, and that was the case again on Monday.

“That wasn’t the way we drew it up,” said Terry Francona, Cleveland’s skipper. “But about our bullpen, that’s one of the most amazing jobs I’ve ever seen. I mean, starting with Otero to Manship to McAllister to Shaw, if anybody has a hiccup, we probably lose.”

The Tribe’s relievers have been down this road before. During the regular season, Cleveland’s bullpen was forced to log eight-plus innings four times, posting a 1.09 ERA with a .133 opponents’ batting average in those games. On Monday, the six Indians relievers scattered seven hits and one walk.

“There was no panic at all,” Zach McAllister said. “Once that happened, everyone kind of settled down and knew our name might be called within an inning or within two innings. Everyone was prepared.”

Game 4 of the ALCS is set for Tuesday night. Given Bauer’s early exit, Kluber will start for the Indians. Kluber spun 6 1/3 shutout innings in Game 1 and has turned in 13 1/3 scoreless innings this postseason.

Right-hander Aaron Sanchez will start for the Blue Jays. Sanchez has not pitched since facing the Texas Rangers in Game 3 of the ALDS on Oct. 9, when he allowed six runs over 5 1/3 innings in a series-clinching victory.

TORONTO, ON – OCTOBER 17: Trevor Bauer #47 of the Cleveland Indians throws a pitch in the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays during game three of the American League Championship Series at Rogers Centre on October 17, 2016 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)

The Toronto Blue Jays have struggled with hitting thus far in the American League Championship Series, and slugger Jose Bautista believes there are nefarious external forces responsible for his team’s lackluster performance.

Blue Jays’ Joe Bautista Voices ALCS Conspiracy Theories

The Cleveland Indians, who currently lead the Series 2-0 after defeating the Blue Jays 2-0 on Friday and 2-1 on Saturday, responded to Bautista’s absurd conspiracy theory claims on Twitter ahead of Game 3, which is set for Monday night in Toronto.

“All you gotta do is look at video and count how many times [Indians pitchers have] thrown pitches over the heart of the plate. It hasn’t been many,” Bautista told reporters Sunday. “They’ve been able to do that because of the circumstances — that I’m not trying to talk about because I can’t. That’s for you guys to do but you guys don’t really want to talk about that either.”

USA Today reporter Mike Vorkunov tweeted Bautista’s full quote:

Previously, the Dominican right fielder, who turns 36 on Wednesday, said: “Sometimes the elements and the circumstances that we have to deal with as hitters don’t go our way. I’m not really trying into that.”

The Indians responded to Vorkunov’s tweet with a photograph montage featuring relievers Andrew Miller and Cody Allen and starters Corey Kluber and Josh Tomlin, accompanied by the word “circumstances” in quotation marks.

Kluber started ALCS Game 1 for Cleveland, Tomlin started Game 2, and Miller and Allen appeared in relief in both games.

On Monday, the Indians continued trolling Bautista and the Blue Jays by creating a poll on Twitter, asking Indians fans what they believe the Blue Jays will use as their next excuse for losing and/or playing terribly.

Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion have complained about the umpiring during the first two games of the series, in which Toronto has gone 10-for-63 with no homers. Both deflected questions about the umpires in postgame interviews, declining to go into full detail.

TORONTO, ON – OCTOBER 9: Jose Bautista #19 of the Toronto Blue Jays hits into a double play for the final two outs of the fifth inning against the Texas Rangers during game three of the American League Division Series at Rogers Centre on October 9, 2016 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)

The Cleveland Indians entered the American League Division Series as underdogs, but have now reached the AL Championship Series.

Indians Beat Red Sox 4-3 For ALDS Sweep In David Ortiz’s Final Game

The Tribe held off the Boston Red Sox 4-3 at Fenway Park on Monday night to complete a three-game sweep in veteran slugger David Ortiz’s final career game.

Cleveland made history. Four more victories, and the Indians will reach their first World Series since 1997, and their first ALCS since 2007.

“We might not be the most talented team in this league,” said Indians manager Terry Francona, champagne dripped from the brim of his hat. “But, that doesn’t mean we can’t win. And I think everybody in here believes that. We get to keep playing. That’s the best thing I can say. We get to keep playing. Hopefully, when it’s time to go home, it can be on our terms.”

Right-hander Josh Tomlin ignored the jeers of a Fenway crowd that mockingly chanted his name and delivered a strong, five-inning effort. Coco Crisp hit a critical home run, and Francona relied heavily again on his bullpen to secure the win.

The Indians will now face the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALCS, beginning on Friday at Progressive Field. Toronto is led by team president Mark Shapiro, who spent the previous 24 years in Cleveland’s front office.

As Cleveland’s players celebrated inside the cramped confines of Fenway’s visitors’ clubhouse, Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti stated he was eagerly anticipating the upcoming challenge against Shapiro’s familiar face.

“I wouldn’t be standing here today and having this opportunity, if it wasn’t for Mark,” Antonetti said as the players partied behind him. “For both of us to advance to the ALCS is really a dream come true. At a minimum, we know one of the two of us is going to end up in the World Series. Obviously, right now, I’ve got a strong preference on which one.”

Cleveland’s bullpen led the team into the ALCS. After a 4-1 lead with none out in the sixth, Francona turned to Andrew Miller. The lefty got six big outs and left with a two-run lead. Bryan Shaw recorded the first two outs in the eighth, and closer Cody Allen got the final four outs of the game.

“It’s impressive because we got it done,” Miller said. “This offense that we faced, this team is so great, but particularly from the perspective of a relief pitcher, this offense is just unbelievable. To find a way, it doesn’t have to be pretty, and it wasn’t tonight.

“I think certainly, Bryan and Cody and I would like to be more efficient and effective and straightforward, but it’s just these guys are so darn good. And just find a way to get it done is all that matters at the end of the day.”

Allen struggled at first in the eighth as the retiring Ortiz walked. Hanley Ramirez smacked a single to make it a one-run game. However, Xander Bogaerts lined one right to second, and the Indians escaped yet another threat. Allen again evaded trouble in the ninth, working out of a two-on, two-out jam and clinching the series by inducing Travis Shaw’s flyout to right.

Just like that, the end of this season also marked the end of Red Sox slugger Ortiz’s career, 11 months after the veteran Dominican star announced he would be retiring.

“Given how we performed as an offensive team throughout the year, and it’s not to take anything away from their pitching, but I think there was no more than one run we were able to score in any one inning,” Red Sox manager John Farrell said. “The inability to string some hits together, generate the bigger inning, that wasn’t there.

“So that puts us in a spot where we are today.”

Due to the three-game sweep against the Red Sox, the Indians can align their rotation as they see fit. The Game 1 starter hasn’t been announced, but ace Corey Kluber would be a safe bet to take the ball in the ALCS opener against the Blue Jays on Friday night.

BOSTON, MA – OCTOBER 10: David Ortiz #34 of the Boston Red Sox reacts after the second inning against the Cleveland Indians during game three of the American League Divison Series at Fenway Park on October 10, 2016 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Josh Donaldson raced home from second base after an errant throw by Rougned Odor in the bottom of the 10th inning to lead the Toronto Blue Jays to a thrilling, 7-6 home victory over the Texas Rangers in Game 3 of the AL Division Series on Sunday night, thus completing a sweep.

Josh Donaldson’s Dash Propels Blue Jays Into ALCS With 7-6 Win Over Rangers

The Blue Jays will next play Game 1 of the American League Championship Series on Friday night in Boston or Cleveland (time TBD). The Indians lead that series 2-0, with Game 3 scheduled for Monday following a postponement Sunday.

Toronto had runners on first and second base when Russell Martin hit a grounder to the gap between shortstop and third base. Elvis Andrus got the out at second, but Odor’s relay throw to first escaped Mitch Moreland, and Donaldson– the reigning AL MVP– beat the first baseman’s throw to home plate with a headfirst dive.

“Well it was 3-2 and Russell was taking some pretty big swings,” said Donaldson. “I was expecting contact right there. I was able to get a pretty good secondary [lead]. I was at third base when the throw was being made. Once I saw him miss the pick, I felt I had a chance right there, and fortunately for us, I was able to make it.”

Donaldson led off the 10th with a double into the right-center field gap and Matt Bush intentionally walked Edwin Encarnacion. The umpires reviewed whether Encarnacion’s slide into second was legal, but the ruling on the field was confirmed and no interference was called.

“It was crazy,” Martin said. “That’s the best ground ball to short I’ve ever had, I think.”

Encarnacion and Martin scored first-inning homers, while right-hander Aaron Sanchez did not factor into the decision after he was charged with six runs on three hits and four walks over 5 2/3 innings. The bullpen took it from there, with 4 1/3 scoreless frames.

Odor’s night came to an end in a devastating way, although he earlier hit a two-run homer scored a pair of runs. Andrus also went deep for Texas and Moreland added two RBIs with a go-ahead double in the sixth inning. Rangers righty Colby Lewis did not take a decision after he allowed five runs on five hits over two-plus innings. The loss went to Bush, who threw two scoreless innings before the decisive 10th.

“It’s our belief that any time you enter Spring Training, it’s one mission, and that’s to win and play for the opportunity to win the World Series,” Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. “That’s been our mission all along. It’s disappointing in a sense we’re not going to continue to play. But I’m most proud of how our guys continued to battle.”

Encarnacion helped set up Donaldson’s wild dash by reaching second base in 3.55 seconds, which forced Odor his throw to first. According to Statcast, that was Encarnacion’s fastest first-to-second time on a force-out or double play all season, topping his previous best of 3.81 seconds. Donaldson topped out at 19.5 mph, which was faster than any speed he clocked in the last two weeks of the regular season after missing three games with a sore hip.

“When you have 50,000 fans screaming, it kind of numbs the pain a little bit,” said Donaldson, who is still bothered by the sore hip. “It gives you that little extra bolt of adrenaline. … The fact of the matter is I want to be out there for my team, my teammates want me out there and I want to contribute in any way possible.”

The Rangers had a 6-5 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth before a one-out single by Troy Tulowitzki, a double by Melvin Upton Jr. and an intentional walk to Kevin Pillar loaded the bases. Reliever Keone Kela got Darwin Barney to pop out, but his first pitch to Ezequiel Carrera got away from catcher Jonathan Lucroy for a passed ball to tie the game. Kela retired Carrera on a flyout to right to end the inning.

“We all expected to compete better than this,” Lucroy said post-game. “It’s very disappointing.”

The Rangers will next open the 2017 season against the Indians on April 3 at Globe Life Park in Arlington.

TORONTO, ON – OCTOBER 09: Josh Donaldson #20 of the Toronto Blue Jays races home to score the game-winning run in the tenth inning during MLB game action against the Texas Rangers in game three of the American League Divison Series at Rogers Centre on October 9, 2016 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)