HOUSTON (AP) — Texas Rangers slugger Adolis García set a record for RBIs in a postseason series with his 14th in the AL Championship Series and extended his home run streak to four games after going deep in Game 7 against the Houston Astros on Monday night.
García stretched his RBI streak to six games with a single in the first inning of the pennant-deciding game. He added an opposite-field solo homer in the third and a two-run single in the fourth that pushed the Rangers to an 8-2 lead. He's also the first player with RBIs in six straight games within a postseason series.
The Dominican slugger known as “El Bombi” broke the previous postseason record held by Nelson Cruz. Cruz had 13 RBIs for the Rangers in the 2011 ALCS against Detroit, which was the last time they went to the World Series.
It has been an eventful series for García, who hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the sixth inning of Game 5, when he spiked the bat and took a slow trot after putting the Rangers ahead. In his following at-bat, he was hit on the top of the left arm by a 98.8 mph fastball from Bryan Abreu.
When García immediately turned and got into the face of catcher Martin Maldonado, the benches and bullpens cleared and the game was delayed about 12 minutes before order was restored. Umpires determined that Abreu intentionally threw at the slugger, who was also ejected for his aggressive reaction. Abreu was suspended two games, a punishment delayed until the start of the next regular season after Abreu appealed.
Houston won that game 5-4 on Jose Altuve's three-run homer in the ninth.
García — amid a chorus of boos from the Houston crowd — then struck out in his first four at-bats in Game 6 on Sunday night, before hitting a grand slam in the ninth inning of a 9-2 win that forced the deciding game. He began Game 7 with hits in his first three at-bats.
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