ALCS Game One: Open Game Thread

After a day off yesterday, the ALCS gets underway today while the NLCS starts tomorrow and can I just say: this is some junior circuit bias nonsense. Putting Game 1 of the ALCS on a Sunday night against the NFL/Sunday Night Football (and for those of us in Seattle specifically, the Seahawks?) and also making the Rays play just one day after their marathon duel against the Yankees? It’s just rude. I’m hoping Tampa Bay isn’t at too much of a disadvantage. Vegas favors Houston to win the game, and the series, to which I say boooooo and fart noises and go Flappy Bois.

To be fair, though, the Rays are going to be a little more limited in their DeathPen than the Yankees, given that many of their relievers pitched high-stress innings during this same weekend. Again, booooo MLB. I’m sure it was TV deals or something that predicated this decision but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t suck. That puts a little more pressure on Blake Snell to have a good performance, and also, if the internet meme-makers enjoyed Cody Bellinger’s hazed-out Burning Man-adjacent visage, boy are they going to enjoy Blake Snell when they get an eyeful of him (this is a joke more about people not paying any attention to the Rays more than it is a joke about how Blake Snell permanently looks like he’s just emerged from the basement to refill the Dorito bowls for his friends and argue with you about the history homework he’s putting off).

Here’s how the two teams stack up tonight:

The game starts now-ish on TBS, if you can prise control of the television away from whoever in your household/workplace/local establishment is watching the NFL. The two teams will be playing in Petco Park, where the Astros looked mighty comfortable against the A’s in the ALDS. Sigh.

Truer words, young Colin. Truer words.