The MLB Postseason officially started on Tuesday with the Wild Card Series and the first game was a thriller between the Minnesota Twins and the Houston Astros. It was a low-scoring affair for much of the contest, but a three-run ninth was enough for the Astros to take a 1-0 lead in the best of three series.
How It Happened:
The Twins got on the board first thanks to an RBI double to right field scoring Max Kepler. It remained a 1-0 lead for Minnesota, but George Springer came up big in the top of the seventh with a two-out single that got Josh Reddick across home plate to tie things up at one.
The Astros were able to take the lead in the top of the ninth after Jose Altuve was walked with the bases loaded on a 3-2 count with two outs. Michael Brantley then added some insurance with a well-placed line drive that scored Springer and Altuve. Minnesota had a chance to rally after a pair of singles from Miguel Sano and Jorge Polanco, but Williams Astudillo grounded into a double play that secured the Astros the first win in the series.
Big Number: 17
The Twins struggles in the postseason are well known and it continued against Houston, racking up their 17th straight postseason loss. The last time they won a postseason game was all the way back in 2004 when they were beaten 3-1 by the New York Yankees.
Player of the Game: Framber Valdez
After a rough start from Zack Grienke, Framber Valdez came up huge in long relief. Valdez only allowed two hits and struck out five in five innings of work, setting up a fresh bullpen for game two on Wednesday.
Next Up: Wednesday vs Twins; First Pitch at 12:30 pm