Greetings, Sports Nation!The semifinals of the MLB playoffs kicked off last night with a spicy ALCS match in between the Texas Rangers and the Houston Astros. Though the Astros got in the collection as the wagering favorites - in addition to being the reigning Globe Collection and AL West champs - it was the Rangers who took Game 1. Surprisingly, it was on the back of Jordan Montgomery that outpitched future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander. Though Houston's ace primarily pitched well, he had a rough second inning that he was privileged to get out of enabling just one run. The rally began with a dual from rookie Evan Carter, who's brought his hot late-season debut right into the postseason. A couple of fast pitches later on, former A's catcher and currently All-Star Jonah Heim knocked Carter in with a one-out solitary to give the Rangers the 1-0 lead. Verlander enabled one more single and a stroll yet squeezed himself out of the inning by obtaining Marcus Semien to pop out to the infield.  Braves Shorts.