HOUSTON, Oct. 15 \u2014 Jordan Montgomery<\/a><\/strong> tossed 6 1\/3 scoreless innings to lead the Texas Rangers<\/a> to a 2\u20130 victory over the Houston Astros<\/a> in Game One of the 2023 American League Championship Series Sunday night. Rangers rookie Evan Carter<\/a><\/strong>, who scored one of the two runs, made several great catches in left field, including one that led to a back-breaking double play in the bottom of the eighth, to help preserve the shutout.<\/p>\n \u201cHe threw a heck of a game tonight,\u201d Astros manager Dusty Baker<\/a><\/strong> said of Montgomery, saying his fastball was good and he was \u201cthrowing harder than I remember.\u201d<\/p>\n Veteran Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander<\/a><\/strong> pitched valiantly, scattering six hits across 6 2\/3 innings while allowing two runs, one on a solo homer by center fielder Leody Taveras<\/a><\/strong>, who hits ninth. \u201cThey’ve been a prodigious offense all season long,\u201d Verlander said of the Rangers. \u201cYou know your work is cut out for you.\u201d Verlander added, \u201c\u2026a lineup like that is so deep that you can’t focus on a pocket of hitters and say, \u2018If I don’t let them beat me, I’ll be good.\u2019 Every one of their guys (can) beat you. You’ve got to be on your game, one through nine. If you’re not, they’ll make you pay.\u201d<\/p>\n The Rangers got on the board first but left runs on the table. A one-out hustle double to right by left fielder Evan Carter gave catcher Jonah Heim<\/a><\/strong> an RBI opportunity. He cashed in with a single to right-center, giving the Rangers a 1\u20130 lead. After a lineout to deep center by first baseman Nathaniel Lowe<\/a><\/strong>, third baseman Josh Jung<\/a><\/strong> singled to left. A walk by center fielder Leody Taveras loaded the bases for second baseman Marcus Semien<\/a><\/strong>, but a fly to the second baseman in shallow left ended the frame with the bases loaded. They extended their lead to 2\u20130 in the top of the fifth. Verlander hung a 1\u20132 slider down the middle to Taveras, who crushed it 398 feet into the right-field seats. \u201cThat was the only mistake that (Verlander) made,\u201d Baker said, \u201cand (Taveras) didn\u2019t miss it.\u201d<\/p>\n The Astros squandered scoring opportunities in both the third and fourth innings. In the third, a one-out walk by catcher Martin Maldonado<\/a><\/strong> and two-out single by third baseman Alex Bregman<\/a><\/strong> brought up designated hitter Yordan Alvarez<\/a><\/strong> with a runner in scoring position. But Montgomery got him to chase a shin-high 3\u20132 curveball to end the inning. In the fourth, the Astros loaded the bases on consecutive two-out singles by left fielder Chas McCormick<\/a><\/strong>, center fielder Mauricio Dubon<\/a><\/strong>, and shortstop Jeremy Pena<\/a><\/strong>. But Maldonado swung right through a letter-high 1\u20132 fastball to strand the runners.<\/p>\nRangers Take Advantage of Opportunities; Astros Do Not<\/h3>\n
A Key Double Play<\/h3>\n