World Series: Texas Rangers beat Houston Astros in American League Championship Series

The Texas Rangers have reached their first World Series since 2011 by beating the Houston Astros 11-4 in the deciding seventh game of the American League Championship Series (ALCS).

That victory at defending champions Houston ensured that, remarkably, the away team won every game of the ALCS.

Texas now face either the Philadelphia Phillies or the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The latter pair are level at 3-3 in the National League Championship Series (NLCS), with game seven on Tuesday.

The best-of-seven World Series begins on Friday at the Rangers' Globe Life Park - with game one live on BBC Sport.

Texas will have home field advantage, with four of the seven games (if required) at their home stadium in Arlington, courtesy of having a better regular-season record than both potential opponents.

The Rangers, whose franchise moved to Texas in 1972 after a decade as the Washington Senators, are the oldest club in Major League Baseball to have never won a World Series, having been runners-up in 2010 and 2011.

They came out swinging early at Minute Maid Park on Monday, Corey Seager's home run sparking an early rally which meant Astros starting pitcher Cristian Javier failed to make it through the first inning.

Rangers starter Max Scherzer left in the third inning with his side leading 4-2, but the visitors drove in four more runs in the top of the fourth on the way to a blowout win as Houston were denied a third successive trip to the Fall Classic.

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