The battle for baseball bragging rights in Texas begins Sunday
HOUSTON (CBSNewsTexas.com) - No matter where your loyalties lie, or what the outcome eventually is, this is a historic fight for the pennant that begins in Houston.
There are decades of baseball history and rivalry between these two teams, fanbases, and regions, but it has never played out in the playoffs, until now.
For the first time ever in October, Texas baseball fans still have something to cheer for, setting up a Fall contest to be crowned the best in the American League, and maybe more importantly? The best in Texas.
"It's definitely a rivalry," said Marcus Semien, the Rangers second baseman. "We were the top two teams in the AL West, and look at us now. Top two teams in the AL."
Sixty-one years ago, there was no competition for which one was the Texas team.
The Colt 45s were the first and only Major League club in the state when they took the field in Houston.
But a decade later, Arlington adopted the old Washington Senators, and a new fanbase was born.
An all-star pitcher named Nolan Ryan helped the Astros make the first Texas playoff appearance. A decade later, Ryan helped the Rangers make history too.
Houston counted a president as one of its famous fans. The Rangers, well they topped it with a future president as a partial owner.
Interleague play in the 2000s finally made the Silver Boot series a regular thing and since then, it hasn't just been the fan bases that have been facing off.
Houston though has had the upper hand since 2017 when the Astros won the World Series.
They doubled down with another win last year, and will now have to hold off their rivals if they want to keep the pennant in the south.
This is the first time there has even been a league championship series between two teams from the same state.
We've seen packed stadiums for regular season games between these two teams, but it's never happened at this level before.