(SportsRadio 610) - It has become a tradition in Houston to host the American League Championship Series.
The Astros just advanced to their seventh straight ALCS with a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday night. They won the series 3-1 with the Texas Rangers waiting for them in the ALCS.
It is the first time the in-state and AL West rivals face each other in the postseason, setting the stage for an intense matchup between teams and fans who know each other well.
The Astros, who won the AL West on the last game of the season, were 9-4 against the Rangers this season.
In Game 4 against the Twins, a pair of Astros homers were enough to seal the deal. Twins rookie Royce Lewis hit a solo home run in the first inning to give his team an early lead, but Michael Brantley responded in the second with a solo shot of his own.
Then it was José Abreu hitting his third home run in the last two games, which amounted to seven RBI. Abreu hit .313 with a 1.228 OPS and had eight RBI in the series.
José Urquidy pitched 5.2 innings and gave up just two runs on a pair of homers. Hector Neris, Bryan Abreu and Ryan Pressly finished the game to take Houston to its seventh straight ALCS.