October 1, 2024; Houston, Texas, United States; Detroit Tigers catcher Jake Rogers (34) and Detroit Tigers pitcher Beau Brieske (4) celebrate after defeating the Houston Astros in Game 1 of the Wild Card round for the 2024 MLB playoffs at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Photographs
HOUSTON – Tarik Skubal pitched six shutout innings as the bottom of the order sparked an early rally that lifted the Detroit Tigers to a 3-1 victory over the Houston Astros in Game 1 of the wild-card series. card of the American League, Tuesday.
Detroit took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series that is scheduled to resume Wednesday. It was the Tigers’ first postseason victory since Game 4 of the 2013 AL Championship Collection against Boston.
Skubal (1-0), the presumptive favorite to win the AL Cy Younger award, went for that pedigree. He allowed four singles and issued a walk while recording six strikeouts. Skubal retired the Astros in order in the first, second and fifth innings and was particularly effective with base traffic, limiting Houston to 0 for 3 with runners on base while stranding five.
With runners on first and second and two outs at third, Skubal induced a Kyle Tucker flyout to quell that threat. Skubal retired Jeremy Pena and Victor Caratini with runners on first and second to end the fourth, and landed a takedown of Yainer Diaz after a two-out easy by Alex Bregman to cap the sixth. Skubal threw 88 pitches, 64 of which were strikes.
The Astros responded with left-hander Framber Valdez, whose second-inning woes proved punishing.
The Tigers staged a two-out rally on the heels of Wenceel Perez and Spencer Torkelson, reaching through an easy and a one-out walk. Torkelson recovered from an 0-2 hole to reach base, and the Tigers extended the inning when Parker Meadows beat a grounder into a double play.
Jake Rogers and Trey Sweeney – batting eighth and ninth, respectively – and Matt Vierling followed with successive RBI singles, with Rogers and Sweeney throwing at sinkers before Vierling recorded an exit velocity of 108.3 mph against a changeup . Valdez struck out Justyn-Henry Malloy to end the uprising, but that three-point frame proved enough with Skubal.
In addition to the three runs, Valdez allowed seven hits and walked two while recording three strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.
The Astros staged a last-ditch rally against Tigers reliever Jason Foley in the ninth. Yordan Alvarez (double), Alex Bregman (easy) and Yainer Diaz (easy RBI) took turns to bring the rating to 3-1. After a sacrifice put runners at second and third with one out, Tigers right-hander Beau Brieske came in and picked up the final two outs, including forcing Jason Heyward to line out to Torkelson at first base to block loaded bases.
– MK Bower, Field Media
