Major League Baseball

By The Numbers: Boston Red Sox vs. Houston Astros in ALCS

Updated Oct. 15, 2021 11:30 a.m. ET

Before Game 1 of the ALCS between the Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros (8:07 p.m. ET on FOX) gets underway, how do these two MLB juggernauts stack up?

Both rolled through their respective ALDS matchups, as the Red Sox dispatched the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 and the Astros took out the Chicago White Sox in four games, too.

With a World Series ticket on the line in this best-of-seven series, here are the numbers that define the ALCS:

3: This will be the third postseason matchup between the Red Sox and Astros. Both teams have won one head-to-head playoff series, the Astros in the 2017 ALDS (3-1) and the Red Sox in the 2018 ALCS (4-1).

5-2: Houston posted a 5-2 record against Boston in two series played during the regular season.

12: The Red Sox have made 12 ALCS appearances, second-most all time behind the New York Yankees' 17.

15-4: Red Sox manager Alex Cora is 15-4 in postseason games, the best winning percentage (78.9%) in MLB history by a manager with a minimum of 15 playoff games.

10: Red Sox center fielder Kiké Hernández is second in the majors with 10 hits this postseason, trailing only the Dodgers' Mookie Betts.

4: The Red Sox have four players — Hernández, Xander Bogaerts, Kyle Schwarber and Rafael Devers — with multiple home runs this postseason, the most of any team.

9: The Astros have made nine league championship series appearances in franchise history (4 NLCS, 5 ALCS).

3: Houston (2017-present) is the third team in MLB history to reach five or more consecutive league championship series.

19: Jose Altuve has 19 career postseason home runs, tied for fourth-most all time.

15: Michael Brantley (2020-present) has a 15-game postseason hitting streak, tied with Alcides Escobar for the longest streak among active players. It is the longest postseason hitting streak in Astros franchise history and tied for the fifth-longest of all time.

7.8: The Astros are averaging 7.8 runs per game this postseason.

11-6: Dusty Baker is 11-6 in playoff games as Houston's manager.

34: Baker's 34 career playoff wins as a manager are tied with Sparky Anderson for ninth all-time and rank fourth among active managers.

5: The Astros are tied with the Dodgers for the most stolen bases this postseason (5).