Astros' Hunter Brown ignites Rangers rivalry after fiery quote after Friday matchup

Astros starting pitcher Hunter Brown went on record to say that, this year, the Lone Star rivalry between the Astros and the Rangers is a bit more personal after the Dallas-based team knocked out Houston out of the postseason in the 2023 ALCS.

Astros beat reporter Brian McTaggart captured Brown's comment, which has sparked over 2,500 likes and 200+ retweets from mostly Astros fans, fired up after Brown keyed a Houston victory to open the final series prior to the All-Star break.

The Astros continued their hot play at home, topping the Rangers 6-3, much to the chagrin of the reigning World Champions.

In other words, if Max Scherzer's going to get the Rangers resurgence he's been looking for, it'll have to begin on Saturday rather than in the opener. Hopefully, the Rangers' roster is just as fired up by Brown's quote as Astros fans seem to be.

Astros fans rally around Hunter Brown's anti-Rangers sentiment

Since Brown's comment went public, he has received plenty of praise for leaning into the more competitive side of the sport from his supporters.

In 2023, the Rangers went on to win the World Series Championship after knocking out the Astros in a 11-4 win during Game 7 of the ALCS. Since that moment, the rivalry has certainly been kicked up a notch.

In Friday night's game, Brown hit Rangers slugger Adolis García after throwing up and in on him, helping to set a hostile tone. This, paired with the postgame quote from Brown, has sparked praise from those who frequent Minute Maid Park.

The Lone Star Rivalry— also known as the Silver Boot Series — started on June 8, 2001 with the two teams' first meeting on the Rangers' home turf.

The Rangers currently lead the all-time series, 141-139 (.504). In the regular season, the Rangers also lead the series — 137-136 (.502).

From July 7, 2013 until April 11, 2024, the Rangers held the longest win streak with 10 straight victories.

Most recently, the two teams are set to face off in Game 2 of their series today, July 13. First pitch is slated for 3:10 p.m. after the Astros' 6-3 win in yesterday's matchup. The Rangers should let Brown's words ring in their ears prior to first pitch:

"At least for me, and I can't speak for everybody else, but there's a little bit of extra motivation," Brown said. "They knocked us out of the playoffs last year. For the city of Houston, our fans care a lot about it. You want to bring it and you want to win."