A look at what’s happening around the majors Thursday:
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MARQUEE MATCHUP
Red Sox lefty Chris Sale makes his first postseason appearance when he starts against Astros righty Justin Verlander in Game 1 of the AL Division Series at Minute Maid Park. Sale led the majors with 308 strikeouts while going 17-8 with a 2.90 ERA for Boston. Verlander excelled after being traded from Detroit to Houston, winning all five starts for his new team with a 1.06 ERA.
The aces spent several years together in the AL Central – Sale with the White Sox, Verlander with the Tigers – and started against each other five times. In those matchups dating to 2012, Verlander was 2-0 with a 1.46 ERA; Sale was 0-2 with a 2.78 ERA. Detroit won all five of those games.