Adolis Garcia powers Rangers past Astros, into 1st World Series since 2011

Adolis Garcia and these road-happy Rangers are not only tops in Texas, they're best in the American League.

Garcia homered twice and drove in five runs as the Texas Rangers reached their first World Series in 12 years with an 11-4 blowout of the Houston Astros in Game 7 of the AL Championship Series on Monday night.

Corey Seager got the Rangers started with a long homer in a three-run first inning. Nathaniel Lowe also went deep to give Texas — one of six major league teams without a World Series title — its first berth in the Fall Classic since consecutive trips in 2010 and 2011.

Garcia homered for the fourth straight game and set a record for RBIs in a postseason series with 15. He had four hits, scored three times and was the obvious choice for ALCS MVP in a series that saw the road team win every game.

"He's a bad man, isn't he?" Seager said. "To be able to come into this atmosphere and get booed every at-bat and do what he did was really special. It was really fun to watch."

After winning their Lone Star State showdown with rival Houston, the resilient Rangers open an all-wild card World Series at home Friday night against Arizona or Philadelphia, who play the decisive Game 7 of their NLCS on Tuesday night.

Bruce Bochy, who came out of retirement this season to manage the Rangers, became the first skipper to win a League Championship Series with three different teams, after previously leading San Diego and San Francisco to NL pennants.

Diamondbacks force Game 7

Merrill Kelly retired Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner and Bryce Harper in order in the fifth inning, striking out Schwarber and Harper — October's biggest home run threats.

When the pitcher reached the dugout, manager Torey Lovullo offered a handshake to signal the start was over after 90 pitches. Kelly appeared agitated and gestured with his glove as if to point out he struck out Schwarber and Harper and had much more in the tank.

"It kind of just, I think, took me by shock more than anything," Kelly said.

Here might be the real shock — especially in Philly. After losing the first two games of the NL Championship Series, the Arizona Diamondbacks are one win from their first World Series since 2001.

Tommy Pham and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit back-to-back homers and Kelly struck out eight before his early hook to help Arizona force Game 7 with a 5-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.

Kelly and four relievers combined to shut down the Phillies and stifle the Diamondbacks' rousing run of success at Citizens Bank Park. Arizona's bullpen didn't allow a runner to reach second.

"I'm expecting some fun," Kelly said. "Game 7, obviously, they talk about, it's the best words in sports. I think the fact that we're here, I don't think anybody thought we were going to take them to Game 6. I don't think anybody thought we were even going to make it to Game 1. I don't think anybody thought we were going to make it past Milwaukee, to be honest with you."

Arizona backed up the bold pregame words from Lovullo and tamed Phillies bats and the hostile home crowd of 45,473.

Kelly allowed one run and three hits and three walks.

"He was making statements to me that told me that he was capable of going back out there," Lovullo said. "But I've got to be the parent in the room and make a tough decision and hand it over to the bullpen that's been very, very efficient."

Sure enough, Arizona's bullpen allowed three hits over four scoreless innings.

Phillies' 1st home loss

Schwarber, Turner and Harper, the top three hitters in Philadelphia's batting order, went 0 for 9 with four strikeouts. Nick Castellanos was 0 for 4, dropping to 1 for 20 in the series.

Philadelphia lost at home for the first time in seven home postseason games. The Phillies dropped Games 4 and 5 to Houston in the World Series but had won 11 straight postseason home games against NL opposition.

Pham said Arizona gave notice the team is as resilient as any that played this postseason.

The Phillies sent Aaron Nola to the mound — a year to the day after they beat San Diego to win the NL pennant — in hopes of making it two straight trips to the World Series.

Nola was lights out in every postseason start, pitching against the backdrop that the pending free agent could be down to his final games with the Phillies. He was 3-0 with a 0.96 ERA in October.

Make it 3-1.

Nola allowed homers to Pham and Gurriel in almost the same spots in the left field seats, the first ones the longest-tenured Phillies player allowed all postseason.

A sign this wouldn't be Nola's night? Pham was benched for Game 5 because of a 1-for-13 effort in the NLCS.