The 2020 American League Championship Series pitted the top-seeded Tampa Bay Rays against the defending AL champion Houston Astros, played entirely at the neutral-site Petco Park in San Diego without fans due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Rays captured their second American League pennant by winning the best-of-seven series 4–3, securing a narrow 2–1 victory in Game 1 before the series stretched to its limit. The Astros made history by becoming just the second team in MLB postseason history to force a Game 7 after trailing 3–0, matching the feat of the 2004 Boston Red Sox. This run was especially remarkable because Houston entered the playoffs with a losing regular-season record (29–31), making them the first sub-.500 team to win both a Wild Card series and an ALDS. Ultimately, Tampa Bay's magical run ended in the World Series, where they lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games.