It was a matchup seven years in the making.

The Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers both ended playoff droughts that that originated following the 2016 season, so an American League Division Series matchup between the two seems like it was meant to be.

However, the Rangers got the best of Game 1, striking early and shutting the door late en route to a 3-2 victory.

The Rangers were led offensively by a pair of rookies. Outfielder Evan Carter had a clutch RBI double early to put the Rangers on the board, and third baseman Josh Jung scored the winning run on a deep fly in the sixth inning.

The Rangers had eight hits on the day and limited to Baltimore to just five. That doesn't mean the Orioles didn't have chances, but Texas was able to neutralize several threats in order to hold the lead.

Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander was electric, registering two hits, including a home run that brought the Orioles within one. However, the rest of the offense struggled, with players like Adley Rutschman, Austin Hays and Cedric Mullins failing to record a hit.

The quiet performance from the Baltimore bats had fans on social media express frustration and point to inexperience as an issue for the American League Regular Season Champions.

The Rangers victory improves the team to 3-0 on the postseason, which is a remarkable shift from the regular season as they lost out to the Houston Astros on the AL West on the final day of the season.

Texas now officially clinches the opportunity to host two home playoff games this series, but are also just two victories away from a berth in the ALCS. This would be the Rangers first time reaching the round since 2011, when the team reached the World Series.

However, Baltimore remains a formidable foe and a 101-win regular season is certainly nothing to scoff at. They will get a chance to rebound tomorrow when they host Game 2 at 4:07 P.M. ET.