Yankees and Guardians Have to Desperately Hope A.J. Hinch and the Tigers Can Finish Off the Astros and Change October Forever

Framber Valdez is as optimistic as any of the 35,000-plus fans up on their feet in the ninth inning, with Minute Maid Park rocking and the Houston Astros threatening to turn another inexperienced reliever into an October pumpkin. “I thought we were going to win,” Valdez says, “I thought we were going to win there. But baseball’s like that sometimes. You’ll go out there and expect a result and you get something different.”

Yes, even the Astros are not guaranteed October magic. No matter how many are left in disbelief. And you know that the New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians are just desperately praying that A.J. Hinch can somehow finagle another win out of his Detroit Tigers in Houston and knock this generation of baseball’s surest playoff bet right out of October.

That is what Tigers 3, Astros 1 in Game 1 of these devilishly cruel best-of-three Wildcard Series puts into play. It does not just instantly place the proud Astros on the brink. It gives real hope to the young Tigers. And yes, the Yankees and the Guardians too. For there is no doubt that Aaron Judge and José Ramírez would both absolutely love to see those ever haunting Astros knocked right out of this whole thing before the divisional round.

Then again, these are the Astros and counting Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and Co. out is like assuming that Tom Cruise won’t be able to pull off a mammoth stunt. Did you really think it was going to be easy though? In this season of early stumbles, trials and tribulations for this Houston Astros’ dynasty? Of course, the Astros will have to do it the hard way and become the first team in the very short history of these no-margin-for-error Wildcard Series to advance after losing the first game of the best-of-three.

“I feel like this team has been fighting elimination all year,” Bregman says. “We were 10 games back (of first place in the American League West). We know how to play with our backs against the wall.”

Yes, Wednesday afternoon could suddenly become free-agent-to-be Bregman’s last game ever wearing an Astros uniform with another loss. But it also could be just another clutch Astros moment in a golden era full of them. If baseball’s wonderful start to October has shown anything, it’s that anything can happen. See the first game of that Mets-Braves doubleheader instant classic from Monday.

The Astros and everyone but the small but occasionally loud Tigers fans among the crowd at Minute Maid think they’re in for their own bit of October mania when the Hinch takes his closer out in the bottom of the ninth. Jason Foley gives up three straight hits and a run, only given a single out from struggling Houston shortstop Jeremy Peña’s bunt. The Astros will go on to load the bases against reliever Beau Brieske, Hinch’s unconventional choice to save the closer.

“I loved the fight in the room,” Bregman says. “Getting the bases loaded.”

But that’s where it ends. With the bases still loaded. With Clinch Night hero Jason Heyward lining out to a perfectly positioned Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson.

“Game of inches, right?” Astros manager Joe Espada says. “Hits that ball a few inches, a few feet over his head, that ball gets in the corner.”

But it doesn’t. Instead it lands right in Torkelson’s glove. Is this a different kind of postseason for these Astros? Is Houston about to get a lesson in the other side of playoff baseball? Wednesday afternoon’s Game 2 will determine so many fates. You know A.J. Hinch will manage it like the Tigers are the ones facing elimination, just like he did in that Game 4 for the Astros against the Red Sox in 2017, the series that turbo charged this entire run in so many ways.

“I thought we were going to win. I thought we were going to win there. But baseball’s like that sometimes. You’ll go out there and expect a result and you get something different.” — Astros starter Framber Valdez

Game 2, the Astros and the Balance of Power in the American League

Many will say this game is on Hunter Brown, the young Astros starter who grew up a devout Tigers fan in Michigan. Brown gets the ball in Game 2, sure. But it’s really on this Astros’ offense to put up some runs, to remove the need for late game drama.

Framber Valdez is the only Astros pitcher who gives up a run in this opener. Soon-to-be Tigers Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal comes out absolutely dominant in the first inning and is pretty darn good after getting drilled in his non-pitching arm with a liner in the second inning. Four Tiger relievers combine for the last nine outs, the last three of them as fraught as a skyscraper walker’s most intense high-wire act.

“It means a lot for our team to have a 1-0 lead (in the series),” Hinch says. “It wouldn’t have mattered what ballpark we’re in, who we’re playing, what sentimental values there are.

“We’re trying to win a series. I say that all the time at the beginning of a series: ‘What do we have to do to win a series?’ ”

When Valdez gives up three runs in the top of the second inning, surrendering three singles (all with two outs) and a walk to a pesky Tigers lineup, Minute Maid Park seems to drop into something of a collective shock. Except for the small, loud band of Detroit Tiger fans screaming excitedly through the pall.

This doesn’t happen to the Astros in the playoffs. Certainly not this early in October.

Only it is. Tarik Skubal is that good, that much of a series shifter. These A.J. Hinch Tigers seem to enjoy playing mind games with the Astros. The Tigers throw over to first base to make Astros lineup lifeline Yordan Alvarez dance back to the bag on bis balky right knee. Skubal also sends a 99 MPH fastball inside on Alvarez, forcing the big man to jump off the plate.

Detroit is going right at the American League’s gold standard. Almost daring the Astros to push back.

You better believe that the Yankees and Guardians are hoping the Astros don’t rediscover their ability to shove. That for one October, they finally can’t.

Did you really think it was going to be easy? In this season?