HOUSTON — Andy Ibáñez hit a tiebreaking three-run double in Detroit’s four-run eighth inning, and the Tigers swept the Houston Astros with a 5-2 victory in Game 2 of their AL wild-card series on Wednesday.
Parker Meadows homered as Detroit ended Houston’s run of seven consecutive appearances in the AL Championship Series. It was a sweet moment for Tigers Manager A.J. Hinch, who led Houston to a World Series championship in 2017 but was fired in the aftermath of the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal.
Next up for the wild-card Tigers is a trip to Cleveland to take on the AL Central champions in a best-of-five AL division series. Game 1 is on Saturday.
Kerry Carpenter sparked Detroit’s eighth-inning rally with a one-out single off Ryan Pressly (0-1), who converted his first 14 postseason save opportunities. Carpenter advanced to third on a single by Matt Vierling and scored on a wild pitch, tying it at 2.
Pressly departed after Colt Keith reached on a two-out walk, and closer Josh Hader walked Spencer Torkelson to load the bases.
Hinch then sent Ibáñez up to hit for Zach McKinstry, and Ibáñez lined a 1-2 sinker into the corner in left for a 5-2 lead.
Vierling, Keith and Torkelson jumped around and high-fived in celebration after scoring on Ibáñez’s clutch swing. Ibáñez raised his arms high above his head and smiled as he reached second.
Hader, who signed a $95 million, five-year contract in January, allowed three hits and walked two in 1 1/3 innings.
Detroit used seven different pitchers a day after pitching Triple Crown winner Tarik Skubal got the win in the series opener. Sean Guenther pitched 12/3 innings for the win in Game 2, and Will Vest handled the ninth for the save.
In the postseason for the first time since 2014, Detroit also got a solo home run from Meadows in the sixth to help the franchise to its first playoff series win since the 2013 ALDS.
Just making it to the playoffs seemed improbable before Detroit went 31-13 down the stretch in the regular season, helped along by the leadership of Hinch – who knows a little something about October success from his time with the Astros.
Eight of the first nine wild-card series since they began in 2022 have been sweeps. It’s the fourth sweep in postseason history for the Tigers, who previously swept the AL championship series in 1984, 2006 and 2012.
The Astros jumped in front in the seventh, but they lost their seventh straight postseason game at home.
Houston’s ALCS streak included four World Series appearances and two titles.
The AL West champions failed to get the big hits they relied on in the regular season, but manufactured a pair of runs with hustle plays in the seventh.
Mauricio Dubón dropped a bunt single to load the bases with no outs. Pinch-hitter Jon Singleton hit a chopper that was fielded by first baseman Torkelson, who threw home from his knees. The throw was in front of the plate and not in time to beat Victor Caratini home.
Torkelson, who was given an error on the play, smacked the ground in disgust after Caratini touched home, tying it at 1.
Jose Altuve then hit a flyball that Vierling caught in foul territory in right, but his throw home wasn’t in time to beat the speedy Jeremy Peña.
Houston starter Hunter Brown had allowed just one hit on a double in the second inning before Meadows smacked his home run off the foul pole in right field to start the sixth.
Brown struck out nine in 5 1/3 innings in his eighth postseason game and first start.
ROYALS 2, ORIOLES 1: Bobby Witt Jr. beat out an infield single to drive in the go-ahead run and send Kansas City into an AL division series against the Yankees, completing a two-game sweep of their wild-card series against the Orioles in Baltimore.
With two outs and runners at the corners in the sixth inning, Witt hit a grounder to the edge of the dirt behind second base, where Jordan Westburg made a diving stop and threw to first. Witt was already there after zooming 90 feet in 4.14 seconds, allowing Kyle Isbel to score from third.
It was the second straight game in which the AL batting champion provided the decisive hit. Witt’s RBI single Tuesday in Game 1 plated the only run in a 1-0 win.
Kansas City, which endured two seven-game losing streaks over the final month of the season, advances to face the AL East champion Yankees. Game 1 is Saturday in the Bronx.
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