[jg2977]

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
HOUSTON ASTROS AT TEXAS RANGERS
October 5, 1922 — Globe Life Field
On a crisp autumn afternoon in Arlington, the Texas Rangers didn’t just defeat the Houston Astros — they ended a series, and in many ways, a season. A 9–1 victory to complete a sweep, and with it, a ticket punched to the Division Series against Cleveland.
From the very first inning, this one carried the feel of inevitability. Houston, proud and accomplished, looked weary, as though the long grind of the season had caught up at precisely the wrong moment. Texas, meanwhile, looked loose, sharp, and entirely unbothered by the stakes.
The star, and fittingly, the series MVP, was Danny Martinez. A .600 batting average in the two games, a .667 on-base percentage, and today, the exclamation point — a towering two-run homer in the seventh. Six runs driven in over the course of the Wild Card Series, four runs scored, and countless moments where his presence seemed to tilt the field. October baseball often provides unlikely heroes, but sometimes, it simply elevates the best player on the field.
He was not alone. Kelly Brunke collected three hits, including a ringing double and a triple, driving in two and scoring three times. The Rangers lineup, one through nine, had the look of a club eager to pile on. By day’s end, eleven hits, nine runs, and precious few wasted chances.
And then there was pitching. Jon Tucker, not flashy but resolute, carried the weight of the afternoon. Eight and a third innings, seven hits scattered, just one run allowed. He threw 107 pitches, 67 of them for strikes, and when the game was fully in hand, he exited to a well-earned ovation.
Houston managed a late rally in the ninth — a double here, a run-scoring sac fly there — but by then, the outcome was long decided. For the Astros, there will be long months ahead to wonder how a season of promise unraveled so abruptly. For the Rangers, there is only forward.
Next stop: the Cleveland Indians. A team rested, waiting, and favored. But on nights like this, with momentum, with confidence, and with an MVP in full stride, the Rangers cannot be dismissed.
So it is Texas that moves on, 9–1 the final, their October story still being written.