Jason Heyward ignited hopes for an incredible Astros comeback with a strong smash that soared off his bat in an exciting moment on Tuesday (October 1) afternoon. Victory was possible for a split second, but as Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson shut his glove firmly on the ninth inning’s last out, the excitement gave way to sadness.
Joe Espada stated; “He hits that ball a few inches, a few feet over his head, that ball gets hit in the corner and [Chas] McCormick scores from first [and we win]. … Those guys never quit, so I’m not surprised by our push there at the end”
Teams that win Game 1 of the best-of-three Wild Card Series have advanced 14 out of 16 times in its short history.
Remarkably, eight of the ten clubs that won the first game away from home went on to win the series, with seven sweeping their opponents.
The Tigers won the second game, too, defeating the Astros 5-2 on Wednesday (October 2), to advance to the American League Division Series.
Detroit swept the best-of-three AL Wild Card Series to reach a second-round matchup against the Cleveland Guardians, who host the opener on Saturday (October 5).
This is the first time the Astros failed to advance after seven straight trips to the American League Championship Series. They won the World Series in 2017 and 2022.