García ties RBI record as torrid postseason continues

After García got, by far, the loudest ovation from a packed Globe Life Field crowd during pregame introductions, he got them roaring even louder when he followed rookie Evan Carter’s RBI double with a run-scoring single off Arizona ace Zac Gallen. His walk-off home run in the 11th inning to give the Rangers a 6-5 win and 1-0 series lead sent the place into a frenzy — and made history.

García’s first-inning knock to left field gave him 21 RBIs this October, which tied the mark for most in a single postseason in AL/NL history with David Freese, who also drove in 21 during the Cardinals’ World Series run in 2011. The home run gave García sole possession of the record.

García also has RBIs in seven consecutive games, tied for the second-longest streak in postseason history behind 2009 Ryan Howard (eight games). He has homered in five straight games, tied for the second-longest streak in postseason history, behind only Daniel Murphy’s six in 2015.

Rangers fans, of course, won’t be too thrilled with that association with Freese, given how that 2011 championship so memorably came at their expense.

But if it’s any consolation, the big hits by Carter and García ensured that the Rangers scored first, which is significant given that such teams entered Friday with a 27-9 record this postseason — and Texas is now a perfect 8-0 in those situations.

And perhaps it’ll help that, as García and his Rangers teammates seize this opportunity to rinse away those memories of 2011 and claim the club’s first World Series championship, not only has he broken Freese’s record, but with anywhere from three to six games remaining, he’ll have an opportunity to obliterate it.

Carter and García — “The Little Savior” and “El Bombi” — had already been instrumental to Texas’ run to the pennant. Carter entered the game slashing .308/.449/.538 this postseason less than two months after his callup to the Majors and added to that with his RBI double to deep right-center that scored Corey Seager following his one-out walk.

García, of course, unlocked a new gear after getting plunked by Astros reliever Bryan Abreu in ALCS Game 5, as he crushed four homers with 12 RBIs in the final three games of that series to win ALCS MVP — and now, he’s already adding to that legacy, with a new team feeling his game-changing energy.