Andy Ibanez smashed a three-run double in the eighth inning and the Detroit Tigers defeated Houston 5-2 on Wednesday to advance in the Major League Baseball playoffs.
Detroit swept the best-of-three American League wild card series to reach a second-round matchup against the Cleveland Guardians, who host the opener on Saturday.
The upstart Tigers, who had not reached the playoffs since 2014 and had not won a playoff series since 2013, ousted an Astros club that had reached the AL championship series in each of the past seven seasons.
“We just needed to believe,” Ibanez said. “That’s the one thing we were missing. We believed coming into this series and we ended up beating a great team in the Astros and now we’re moving on.”
With the contest deadlocked and the bases loaded, Ibanez blasted the game-winning hit down the left-field line off left-handed Houston relief pitcher Josh Hader.
“I think that was the best at-bat of my life,” Ibanez, a 31-year-old Cuban, said through a translator.
“The coaches were telling me to be ready to face a left-hander and the moment finally came.”
Also advancing were the Kansas City Royals, who edged host Baltimore 2-1 to sweep the Orioles.
“This group is special. We’re not done yet,” said Bobby Witt Jr., who drove in the winning run for the second game in a row.
The Royals, in the playoffs for the first time since winning the World Series in 2015, will face the New York Yankees in the second round starting Saturday in New York.
– Royals ‘not done’ –
“We didn’t come this far to come this far,” Kansas City’s Vinnie Pasquantino said. “We expected to win these games. We did that. Job’s not done. We’re going to be ready to go Saturday night.”
The Orioles lost their 10th consecutive playoff game. They haven’t won a playoff series since 2014.
Two more teams will try to advance in later games with host San Diego up 1-0 over Atlanta and the New York Mets ahead 1-0 at Milwaukee.
Detroit’s Parker Meadows blasted a solo home run to right field to open the sixth inning for a 1-0 lead.
Houston answered in the seventh when Victor Caratini was hit by a pitch and advanced on singles by Jeremy Pena and Mauricio Dubon to load the bases.
Astros pinch-hitter Jon Singleton then reached on a fielder’s choice as Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson allowed Caratini to score on a throwing error to home plate.
Jose Altuve’s sacrifice fly to right field then scored Pena for a 2-1 Astros lead.
Detroit responded in the eighth when Kerry Carpenter singled, took third on Matt Vierling’s single and scored the tying run on a wild pitch by Houston’s Ryan Pressly.
Colt Keith and Torkelson walked to load the bases for pinch-hitter Ibanez, who doubled down the left-field line to drive in the deciding runs.
At Baltimore, Kansas City scored in the first when Michael Massey doubled, took third on a ground out and scored on Pasquantino’s single, but the Orioles equalized in the fifth on a Cedric Mullins solo homer.
The Royals responded in the sixth when Kyle Isbel singled, took third on a Massey single and scored on Witt’s infield single.
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