ALCS announcers and TV schedule: Everything to know
By Curt Bishop
The American League Championship series will kick off on Sunday. The Texas Rangers have already punched their ticket to the championship series and we will await the winner of the series between the Houston Astros and Minnesota Twins.
That series could be wrapped up as soon as Thursday, with Houston holding a 2-1 advantage over the Twins. However, Game 5 of the ALDS will be played on Friday if necessary.
There is still much that has yet to be determined as of now, and a lot could change in the coming days. It may be a couple of days before we actually know the full scope of the ALCS and everything that goes along with it.
But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t any answers to questions fans may have.
Who is playing?
The Rangers punched their ticket to the series with a 7-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles in Game 3 of the ALDS on Tuesday night at Globe Life Field.
Their opponent could be determined as soon as Thursday if the Astros win Game 4 of the ALDS against the Twins. If Houston advances, it will be a matchup between two AL West rivals who fought to the bitter end to determine the division champion.
However, if the Twins advance, they will reach the ALCS for the first time since 1991, which is also the last time they won the World Series. They’ll have to win in Game 4 and again in Game 5 in Houston to reach the next round.
Whoever wins that series will have home-field advantage over the Rangers, by virtue of winning their divisions, while Texas earned a Wild Card. The higher seed will host the first two games and the series will shift to Texas for Games 3-5. If it goes six or seven games, the final games will take place at the higher seed’s home ballpark.
The first team to win four games will advance to the World Series.