The Texas Rangers have a comfortable lead in the American League Championship Series against the Houston Astros, having won the first two games on the road.
Game 3, however, is a pivotal one in the series: if the Astros manage to take it, then we will actually have a series.
If, however, the Rangers come out on top again, they would go up 3-0 and only one team in postseason history has managed to overcome that: the 2004 Boston Red Sox in the ALCS against the New York Yankees.
Wednesday’s matchup represents a must-win affair for the reigning World Series champs.
However, it’s also a must-win game for the Rangers: they shouldn’t let the Astros in.
Otherwise, they become really, really dangerous.
With that mission in mind, Texas is rolling out one of the most prominent names on their roster: Max Scherzer.
Return of the Max. pic.twitter.com/fP6CrwHklP
— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) October 17, 2023
Age and recent injuries make Scherzer somewhat of a question mark.
The last time he took the mound was on September 12, when he had to leave his start with a teres major strain.
After a little bit more than a month on the shelf, he has been declared ready to return.
After a rough start of the year, the New York Mets decided to trade the seasoned ace to the Rangers, where he had a 3.20 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP in 45 innings.
He was expected to be the ace that the Rangers lost in Jacob deGrom when he went down with injury himself.
Now, he is all set to take the mound against Houston after completing a 60-pitch simulated game on Friday.
He should be able to throw between 60-70 pitches if things break right for him performance-wise.
NEXT: Rangers Are Already Making History In October
