Tigers 5, Astros 2: Andy Ibáñez powers Tigers with the hit of a lifetime

For over two months, the 2024 Detroit Tigers have played the most clutch brand of baseball we’ve seen in many, many years. They had plenty more in the tank in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series, and they needed all of it. A sloppy seventh inning cost them a slim lead, but they came right back with an absolutely stunning rally punctuated by an Andy Ibáñez moment that will forever live in Tigers postseason history to upset the Astros 5-2 and advance to the Division Series against the Cleveland Guardians.

Here we go for Game Two of the AL Wild Card series, with the Tigers hoping to sweep the series and head to the ALDS. They were taking an interesting pitching approach, turning to a bullpen game, which might have some scratching their heads, but this is the approach that got the Tigers this far in the second half, and the bullpen was going to have to prove their mettle one more time. They’re getting very used to this.

As for the Astros, their starter was Hunter Brown who had 11 wins in the regular season with a 3.49 ERA.

Brown started out strong, getting the Tigers out in order. In the home half it was Tyler Holton on the mound first, after facing only one batter in Game One. Holton continued to dominate against Astros pitching, getting Houston out in order.

In the second, Brown got two quick outs, then on what should have been the third out of the inning, Spencer Torkelson was able to reach first safely on an error by Jose Altuve, and the Tigers certainly weren’t going to look a gift error in the mouth. Zach McKinstry then doubled, to put two men in scoring position, but both of them were left stranded as Trey Sweeney grounded out to end the inning.

Tyler Holton’s day was done after one inning, making way for Brenan Hanifee. Alex Bregman quickly got on base with a single, but Yanier Diaz then lined out to right. Victor Caratini grounded out, but then Hanifee worked up to a full count with Jeremy Pena, and issued a walk. Jason Heyward hit a stinger down the first base line and it looked like it could go either way before the first base umpire ruled it a foul ball, which is good, because it would likely have scored a runner. He then hit a ball to almost the exact same location, again foul. It took roughly a hundred pitches, but Hanifee struck Heyward out with high heat to get the job done and get out of the inning unscathed.

The top of the third was another quick inning for Brown, who got a lineout and two strikeouts to take the Tigers down in order. Hanifee stayed in the game for the bottom of the inning. He got the first two outs of the inning before Hinch came in to make the next switch, bringing in Brant Hurter to face Kyle Tucker. Tucker walked. Yordan Alvarez, always a scary batter to face, grounded out to end the inning.

The game rolled into the fourth inning still scoreless, and Brown continued to churn through Tigers’ batters with heavy doses of hard stuff and not much else. Detroit went down in order, and this one was shaping up to be just that kind of game. Hurter remained in the game, getting Alex Bregman out right away. Yanier Diaz singled on a sharp liner to center field, and almost immediately after that Caratini got stung with a fastball hit-by-pitch, which put two men on and brought Chris Fetter out to have a chat with Hurter. The chat must have helped because Hurter got Pena to ground into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.

Brown continued his efforts against the Tigers in the fifth, and kept them off balance. Where Framber Valdez struggled with his command and seemed to let it get to him early on yesterday, in today’s game, Brown had much more control against the Tigers’ roster. Torkelson struck out, McKinstry grounded out, but Trey Sweeney won a battle against Brown and drew a walk. Sweeney then stole second. The hustle ended up not mattering, as Jake Rogers struck out to end the inning. Brown has been heavily featuring his fastball and the Tigers’ batters just couldn’t seem to time it up after taking a few too many for strikes early on.

Hurter remained in the inning to start the home half of the fifth, issuing a leadoff single to Mauricio Dubon. A force out off the bat of Chas McCormick eliminated Dubon and left McCormick safe at first, and that was the end of the day for Hurter. Last night’s game closer Beau Brieske was next out of the pen, with Hinch hoping to have him keep things scoreless for the Astros through multiple innings. Altuve flied out, and then McCormick stole second. Kyle Tucker then struck out to end the inning.

In the top of the sixth the Tigers silenced the hometown crowd as Parker Meadows hit a solo home run to start things off.

Kerry Carpenter grounded out, then Matt Vierling struck out, having a pretty ugly game against Brown’s steady diet of hardball. Riley Greene drew a walk, and that was it for Hunter Brown, after 99 pitches. Bryan Abreu came in and walked Colt Keith. But with two men on, Spencer Torkelson struck out to end the inning. The Tigers did have the first run of the game though. Now it was time to see if that one run would be enough. Didn’t seem that likely against a seasoned, talented lineup like the Astros.

Brieske returned for the bottom of the sixth. Yordan Alvarez walked, which is about as good a scenario for Alvarez as you can ask for outside an out. Bregman lined out to left. Then, talk about perfect scenarios, Yainer Diaz hit into a double play to tidily wrap up the inning.

Abreu continued his work in the seventh. McKinstry and Sweeney had back-to-back groundouts. Then Rogers struck out swinging for a very quick inning.

In the home half, Jackson Jobe, fresh off his major league debut, now made his postseason debut. The first thing he did was hit Caratini with a cutter that he pulled gloveside. Pena then stroked a perfectly placed hit to center to put two men on with no outs. Mauricio Dubon dropped a bunt single toward third that McKinstry had no play on to load the bases, and I speak for the entire Bless You Boys staff when I say none of us were breathing through this inning.

Frankly, Jackson Jobe looked calmer than anyone else at this point, but he still was a little erratic. Jon Singleton came into hit for Chas McCormick, and he pulled a grounder that Torkelson dove and stopped, and from the ground he uncorked a one-hopper to Rogers at home. The ball was there in time, but Rogers couldn’t hang onto it. That left all the runners safe and scored Caratini. Tie game.

Altuve hit a sac fly to score Pena and give the Astros the 2-1 lead. With only one out, Jobe’s day was done. There wasn’t anything hit hard, and other than the leadoff hit by pitch he acquitted himself pretty well for his fifth major league inning. Still, despite the bad luck and sloppy defense, Hinch was going to hear about this decision if the Tigers couldn’t come back. Sean Guenther came in and got Kyle Tucker to hit into a double play to end the inning. While the seventh felt brutal, this was still just a one-run game. These Tigers have been doing this sort of thing for months now. If you’re new to the bandwagon, buckle up.

Ryan Pressly was next out of the Astros’ pen. With one out, Kerry Carpenter singled to center, then Matt Vierling finally busted out of his game-long slump with a single of his own. A wild pitch allowed Carpenter to score and moved Vierling into scoring position. Tie ballgame. Ok, both teams have slopped it up a bit. Gut check time.

Greene struck out, leaving it up to Colt Keith to see if the go-ahead run was in him. Keith drew a walk, and Joe Espada turned to closer Josh Hader to face Spencer Torkelson. Hader couldn’t fine the strike zone, walking Tork on four pitches, and Andy Ibáñez entered the game to hit for Zach McKinstry.

Bases loaded, two outs, eighth inning with the chance to eliminate the Astros. This is what playoff baseball is all about.

Andy was hacking, but fouled off Hader’s first two offerings. Hader just missed with a pitch away and the crowd was furious, believing it was a strike. Another heater got fouled away, and Ibáñez dug it again. Hader wiped his brow, kicked and fired a 98 mph heater right down the gut at his knees and Ibáñez DID. NOT. MISS. Instead he rifled a shot into the left field corner, clearing the bases with a huge 3-run double and then took third on the throw. 5-2 Tigers. Holy cow what a massive knock.

Trey Sweeney flew out to the wall in left, and that was okay. We were on to the bottom of the eighth.

Guenther, another castaway polished into a piece of this bullpen in the last two months, quickly racked up three easy outs against Yordan Alvarez, Kyle Tucker, and Yainer Diaz, as you’d expect, and we were on to the ninth.

Jake Rogers led off the top of the ninth against Hader, and quickly ripped a single to left field. Meadows tried to bunt Rogers to second, but Bregman pounced and fired a strike to second to cut down the lead runner. Hinch was determined to get everyone in here, pinch-hitting Justyn-Henry Malloy for Kerry Carpenter. However, Meadows got himself picked off first in the meantime.

Malloy spanked a single to left, and Espada continued to roll with Hader. That didn’t look good for the Astros at all as he walked Matt Vierling, but Espada was pretty much leaving it all in Hader’s hands against Riley Greene. They dueled to a 3-2 count as Hader reached 34 pitches in his outing. The 35th got a deep fly ball to center field for the final out of the inning.

Three outs to go to the AL Divisional Series. We were perfectly calm…

It was Will Vest time, and we felt very good about that. Since the Little League Classic, Will Vest has joined Brieske on an outstanding run, taking his game to a new level.

Vest froze Caratini for strike three. Parker Meadows made a fine catch on a Jeremy Pena fly ball at the wall. And Mauricio Dubon grounded out to Colt Keith to end it and send the Tigers to the next round.

Incredible stuff.

Tigers 5, Astros 2: The Tigers advance to face the Cleveland Guardians in the ALDS.

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