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Texas Rangers' Closer Moves to the Top of Postseason Record Books on Monday

Originally posted on FanNation Fastball | By Brady Farkas | Last updated 10/17/23

The Texas Rangers took a commanding 2-0 series lead on the Houston Astros in the ALCS on Monday afternoon.

The 5-4 win moved the Rangers to just two wins away from the World Series and moves the defending champion Astros to just two losses away from elimination.

Even more impressive is that the Rangers took both games on the road, and have a clear advantage heading back to their own ballpark.

There were several impressive things about the Rangers' win, including their historic early-game offensive barrage, but closer Jose Leclerc also made some fun baseball history.

Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com:

José Leclerc is the first pitcher in postseason history to finish each of his team’s 1st 7 games of a postseason prior longest such streak:

2017 Kenley Jansen, 1st 6

The Rangers' bullpen is certainly the weak link of their team and Leclerc is an arm that manager Bruce Bochy clearly trusts, which is why you keep seeing him appear in these games. With several off days between series, there's also more chances to rest and recover.

He threw 1.1 innings on Monday. It was his third save of the postseason and he now has a 1.23 ERA this October.

In the regular season, he went 0-2 with a 2.68 ERA this year. He pitched in 57 games, striking out 67 batters. He had four saves this season and has 40 for his career.

Game 3 of the series from Globe Life Field will take place on Wednesday. First pitch is 8:07 p.m. ET.

This article first appeared on FanNation Fastball and was syndicated with permission.

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