ARLINGTON -- The Texas Lottery has entered into a partnership with the Rangers and the Astros to sponsor the Silver Boot Series. The Silver Boot Trophy is given each year to the season head-to-head winner between the two clubs.
The announcement was made before Tuesday's series opener between the Rangers and the Astros at Globe Life Park in Arlington, the first of 19 games between the two teams.
"This is an awesome partnership where the Texas Lottery is the official sponsor of the Silver Boot," Texas Lottery Commissioner Robert Rivera said. "This is a significant trophy that honors baseball excellence."
The Rangers are the current holder of the Silver Boot, having won 13 of 19 against the Astros last season. Texas has won 11 of 15 since the series began in 2001.
"The rivalry has become increasingly important to everyone, and to have a sponsor like the Texas Lottery making the series more important is great," said Astros vice president Anita Sehgal.
The Texas Lottery also announced the launch of Rangers and Astros scratch tickets offering more than $16.4 million in total prizes, including four top prizes of $100,000 and a chance to win a trip to the World Series. The $5 game ticket is available at lottery retailers.
Players who do not win instantly can enter their tickets into one of four second-chance drawings. Those four winners will win two tickets to Game 4 of the 2016 or 2017 World Series, including roundtrip airfare, ground transportation and hotel accommodations.
"We are really excited about this game and bringing it to market in the great state of Texas," Rangers vice president Joe Januszewski said.