Rangers History Today: Texas Outlasts Tigers in ALCS Game 1
On this date in franchise history, the Texas Rangers started their American League Championship series with the Detroit Tigers.
On October 8, 2011, the Rangers hosted the Tigers in Game 1 of the ALCS, as the game bled into the next morning thanks to a pair of rain delays that totaled nearly two hours.
But the Rangers outlasted the Tigers, 3-2, to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
Tigers starter Justin Verlander took the loss and only threw five innings because of the weather delays. But, the Rangers did their damage before he left the game. In the second inning, David Murphy hit an RBI triple and later scored on an Ian Kinsler single. Then, in the fourth, Nelson Cruz hit a solo home run, which was just the beginning of what would become one of the greatest ALCS performances in league history.
Three runs was all the offense the Rangers needed to defeat the 24-game winner. But the Tigers made it close.
The Rangers started C.J. Wilson and the starts and stops of the game due to the weather limited him to less than five innings, and he gave up both Tigers runs in the top of the fifth before leaving the game. The Rangers burned through five relievers, but the group gave up just a hit and a walk in the final 4 1/3 innings to secure the win. Neftali Feliz secured the save, but Alexi Ogando did the heavy lifting with two scoreless innings and ended up taking the win.
Also on this date …
October 8, 2015: The Rangers opened Game 1 of the American League Division Series with a 5-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre. The Rangers defeated Jays starter David Price, who led the AL in ERA that season. While Jose Bautista homered for Toronto in his first postseason game, Rangers infielder Rougned Odor homered and scored three runs, while Rangers catcher Robinson Chirinos hit a two-run homer.
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