Getty Lance McCullers Jr. of the Houston Astros in the September 30 loss to the Boston Red Sox.
After the Boston Red Sox beat the Houston Astros on September 30, they clinched the American League east division crown and finalized the 2017 MLB postseason bracket. After wrapping up the four-game set at Fenway today, the two teams will face each other again in one of the two AL Division Series. The series kicks off in Houston on Thursday, October 5.
With a 93-68 record heading into the final game of the season, the Red Sox have the third seed in the AL, while the 100-61 Astros have the number two seed. The Cleveland Indians have the best record in the AL with a 101-60 record before the last game of the season. Even if the Astros and Indians end up with the same record, the Indians had a 6-5 record against the Astros this season.
Since the Astros and Red Sox are finishing the regular season against each other, they could end up playing nine consecutive games against each other if the ALDS goes to a full five games. Unlike the ALCS, the ALDS are best-of-five match-ups. The Astros have homefield advantage in the series.
The Sox are expected to have their ace, Chris Sale (17-8), start Game 1, while the Astros could have Dallas Keuchel (14-5) on the mound. Surprisingly, this will be Sale’s first ever start in the postseason.
“This has been a long time coming,” Sale said Saturday. “I’m enjoying this about as much as anybody. A lot of hard work went into this. It’s a long season. We had a lot of guys put everything they had on the field the entire season. To have this right here, it’s the best.”
This is also the second-consecutive AL East crown for the Red Sox, the first time they’ve ever accomplished the feat. Last year, they were swept in the ALDS by the eventual AL pennant winners, the Indians. The Astros missed the postseason in 2016, but reached the ALDS in 2015 after winning one of the two AL Wild Card spots.
Here’s the full schedule for the ALDS. Specific times and channels will be announced later. This post will be updated when they come out.
| Game | Date | Location | Time | Channel |
| 1 | Thursday, October 5 | Minute Maid Park, Houston | TBD | MLB Network and Fox Sports 1 |
| 2 | Friday, October 6 | Minute Maid Park, Houston | TBD | MLB Network and Fox Sports 1 |
| 3 | Sunday, October 8 | Fenway Park, Boston | TBD | MLB Network and Fox Sports 1 |
| 4 (if necessary) | Monday, October 9 | Fenway Park, Boston | TBD | Fox Sports 1 |
| 5 (if necessary) | Wednesday, October 11 | Minute Maid Park, Houston | TBD | Fox Sports 1 |
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ALDS 2017 Schedule: Astros Vs. Red Sox