The Detroit Tigers took care of business in their first playoff appearance in a decade.
The Tigers shut down the Houston Astros for a 3-1 win in Game 1 of the American League wild-card series and withstood a ninth-inning rally Tuesday afternoon at Minute Maid Park.
Detroit put together a two-out rally with three straight RBI singles in the top of the second to take the lead, while ace Tarik Skubal delivered six scoreless innings on the mound . Skubal withstood tough at-bats throughout the Astros lineup to leave them scoreless on four hits and one walk while striking out six. Will Vest , Tyler Holton , Jason Foley and Beau Brieske came out of the bullpen and held the Astros to one run.
SHAWN WINDSOR: Detroit Tigers treat fans to instant reminder of what heart-thumping playoffs feel like
The Tigers had Brieske close out the game in what ended up being a heart-pounding ninth inning. Foley, the closer who had been on a hot streak , started the ninth against the middle of Houston's lineup but gave up three straight hits to surrender a run. Brieske took over, got one out, walked a batter to load the bases, then got a lineout from Jason Heyward to first. Spencer Torkelson nabbed it out of the air and let out a scream to seal it.
A win Wednesday in Game 2 would advance the Tigers to the ALDS to face the Cleveland Guardians .
Brieske got the final two outs in an extremely bumpy ninth inning. Foley allowed three hits — including one right after an overturned strikeout — and a run to start the inning, then got a sacrifice bunt. Brieske got a lineout to left field, walked a batter to load the bases, then saw some luck when veteran lefty Jason Heyward hammered a ball right to the glove of Torkelson. Ball game.
INSIDE THE GAME: Tarik Skubal beat Houston one fastball, one breath, and one howl at a time
Enjoy Dan Dickerson's call of the final out on Tigers radio.
The Tigers bullpen is doing what it needs to late. The ultimate Swiss army knife, Tyler Holton got Kyle Tucker to ground out to third after Will Vest struck out Jason Heyward and Jose Altuve to start the bottom of the eighth. The Tigers worked one walk, but the lumber remained quiet for another inning.
The Tigers threatened to break this one open in the top of the seventh but couldn't strike with the bases loaded. With two outs, Colt Keith drew a walk, followed by a double by Wenceel Perez to put runners at second and third. Spencer Torkelson then battled and drew a walk, but Parker Meadows struck out and could not make Houston pay.
A.J. Hinch turned to Will Vest to relieve Tarik Skubal after a great start, and the righty sat Houston down 1-2-3 to preserve the three-run advantage.
Tarik Skubal is working his way toward a 'Big Game Skubal' trademark.
The Tigers' ace left Yordan Diaz looking with a perfect slider on the outside corner for his fifth strikeout of the game, then got Yainer Diaz to chase a high fastball to end the sixth with a runner on first. Skubal has thrown 88 pitches in six scoreless innings, meaning he could be done for the day. But what a dominant day it has been.
Skubal continues to deal and delivered another 1-2-3 inning in the fifth on just five pitches. The Tigers pinch hit Colt Keith in the top of the inning against a right-handed reliever in Hector Neris and he drew a walk, but that was Detroit's only baserunner.
Tarik Skubal had to grind through the bottom of the fourth, but rung up Jeremy Peña and Victor Caratini with changeups. Skubal had to throw 29 pitches in the inning to navigate around a Yordan Diaz single and Yainer Diaz walk with a nine-pitch out from Alex Bregman sandwiched between. Skubal let out what's becoming a signature roar after punching out Caratini as he walked off the mound. Skubal is at 62 pitches through four innings with four strikeouts, three hits allowed and one walk.
Parkers Meadows had a leadoff single in the top of the inning, but nothing else happened for the Tigers at the plate.
The Astros got runners on base for first time in the bottom of the third, but Skubal induced a Kyle Tucker flyout to leave Mauricio Dubón and Jose Altuve, who both reached on singles, on base. Andy Ibáñez hit a one-out double in the top of the inning, but the Tigers couldn't get anything going outside of that.
Jake Rogers delivered with a two-out RBI to put the Tigers ahead for the first lead of the postseason. Wenceel Pérez took a fastball the other way to right for the game's first hit, then Spencer Torkelson drew a walk in a full count before Parker Meadows moved a runner to third and reached on a fielder's choice to avoid a double play. With two outs, Rogers snuck a ground ball under the glove of Jeremy Peña to plate Pérez. Sweeney squared up a fastball down the middle for a single up the middle to score Meadows and move Rogers to third.
The lineup flipped over and Vierling followed suit with another sharp single back up the middle for the Tigers' third run.
Tarik Skubal had another 1-2-3 inning, but had a bit of a scare. He took a groundball of his glove hand on a comebacker to the mound, knocking off his glove, but stayed in the game after a quick check from a trainer. Skubal is at 15 pitches with one strikeout through two innings.
The pitchers are off to a solid start.
Justyn Henry-Malloy drew a walk in the second at-bat, but Riley Greene hit into a double play to end the top of the first. Tarik Skubal retired Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez on five pitches.
ANALYSIS: 3 reasons why Detroit Tigers can win World Series — and 3 reasons why they can't
The Tigers put together a magical run that will be remembered for a long time to snap the playoff drought. Everything fell into place as the Tigers surged thanks to elite pitching , timely hitting and good managing from A.J. Hinch while the Minnesota Twins faltered.
To build on that run and realize playoff success, the Tigers will have to get through one of the modern MLB juggernauts. The Astros have been one of the final four teams left in seven straight seasons with four World Series appearances and two rings and still have most of that championship roster intact. They started 2024 slow, but finished the season 63-40 since June 1 to win the AL West and enter October as a legitimate World Series contender.
The Game 1 matchup lines up to be a pitching duel. Skubal had a 2.39 ERA and Valdez had a 2.91 ERA in the regular season. Also, the Tigers won in 21 of Skubal's 31 starts while the Astros won in 19 of Valdez's 28 starts. Houston's lineup will be at full strength with Yordan Alvarez active after missing the last week of the season with a knee sprain, while Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman round out the top four of Houston's lineup.
More: Justin Verlander left off Houston Astros wild-card roster against Detroit Tigers
What: Game 1 of MLB playoffs American League wild-card series .
When: 2:32 p.m. Tuesday.
Where: Minute Maid Park in Houston.
TV: ABC.
Livestream: On Fubo (free trial) .
Radio: WXYT-FM (97.1) in Detroit ( Tigers radio affiliates ); nationally on ESPN Radio.
Justyn Henry-Malloy DH
Riley Greene LF
Andy Ibáñez 2B
Wenceel Pérez RF
Spencer Torkelson 1B
Parker Meadows CF
Jake Rogers C
Trey Sweeney SS
Jose Altuve 2B
Kyle Tucker RF
Yordan Alvarez DH
Alex Bregman 3B
Yainer Diaz C
Jeremy Peña SS
Victor Caratini 1B
Mauricio Dubón LF
Jake Meyers CF
The Tigers chose to leave off pitchers Kenta Maeda and Keider Montero from the playoff roster. Here is who made the 26-man roster.
Jake Rogers (C), Dillon Dingler (C), Andy Ibáñez (2B/3B), Colt Keith (2B), Jace Jung (3B), Zach McKinstry (UTIL), Trey Sweeney (SS), Spencer Torkelson (1B), Matt Vierling (3B/OF), Riley Greene (OF), Parker Meadows (CF), Kerry Carpenter (OF/DH), Wenceel Pérez (OF), Justyn-Henry Malloy (DH/OF), Beau Brieske (RHP), Jason Foley (RHP), Sean Guenther (LHP), Brenan Hanifee (RHP), Tyler Holton (LHP), Brant Hurter (LHP), Jackson Jobe (RHP), Ty Madden (RHP), Casey Mize (RHP), Reese Olson (RHP), Tarik Skubal (LHP), Will Vest (RHP).
Best-of-three series in MLB American League wild-card round .; *if necessary.
Game 1, Tuesday, Oct. 1: Detroit Tigers at Houston Astros, 2:32 p.m., ABC
Game 2, Wednesday, Oct. 2: Detroit Tigers at Houston Astros, 2:32 p.m., ABC
∗Game 3, Thursday, Oct. 3: Detroit Tigers at Houston Astros, 2:32 p.m., ABC
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tigers vs Astros AL wild card score Game 1: Updates, highlights, recap
