The Detroit Tigers capped off an improbable September run with a 3-1 victory over the Houston Astros in Game 1 of the American League Wild Card Series on Tuesday, clinching the franchise’s first postseason berth in 10 years. He rode it to another memorable victory. .
Featuring a roster full of rookies who still have little idea of what it means to play at this point in the calendar, the Tigers were quite the team when they arrived in Houston to face a team that has become synonymous with postseason baseball. He seemed to be the weak one. But in a matchup that was laughably lopsided given October’s experience, ace left-hander Tarik Skubal proved to be the ultimate tying player for Detroit.
Not only did Houston’s roster boast more playoff experience, the Astros’ wild-card roster featured a whopping 581 career postseason games, while Detroit’s roster featured just 12 It was a match. Not only that, but they also boasted a convincing collection of players who excelled statistically on both sides of the ball. On paper, the Astros had almost every advantage with the obvious exception of Skubal. And the 27-year-old southpaw made his first career playoff start.
And he did. Skubal sliced through some of the AL’s best hitters with his masterful control of a dominant four-pitch mix, single-handedly accelerating Detroit toward the winning goal line frame by frame.
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