Dallas Keuchel started the All-Star game, won 20 times and twice dominated the New York Yankees.
Now, the Houston Astros need him to pitch the game of his life — while starting on three days' rest for the first time in his career.
All of the Major League Baseball playoff matchups were set Sunday on a final day of the regular season mostly devoid of drama. The Texas Rangers helped locked in the pairings by routing the Los Angeles Angels to win the AL West.
The real intrigue begins Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium. That's when the postseason opens with Keuchel and the Astros taking on New York ace Masahiro Tanaka in the AL wild-card game.