Bobby Witt broke the tie with an infield single in the sixth and the Kansas City Royals earned their spot in the second round of the playoffs on Wednesday, winning 2-1 against the Baltimore Orioles in Game 2 of this series.
The Royals had a 1-0 lead the day before, thanks to a run-scoring single from Witt.
“You never know when an opportunity like this will present itself, so you have to make the most of it,” Witt said. That’s what’s fun about baseball. This is why we play, to find ourselves in these situations. »
The Royals’ Vinnie Pasquantino hit a run-scoring single in the first inning, then Cedric Mullins tied the game with a long ball in the fifth.
In the top of the sixth, there were runners on the ends and two outs when Witt came up to bat. The ball was hit across the mound; Jordan Westburg dove to his right and made a nice leaping throw to first base, but Witt got there in time and Kyle Isbel crossed the plate.
The Royals overcame two seven-game losing streaks beginning in late August. Here they are now in the second round starting Saturday evening, at Yankee Stadium.
World Series champions in 2015, the Royals have suffered 106 losses in 2023.
This year’s version of the club has benefited from the addition of veterans like Tommy Pham, Yuli Gurriel, Michael Wacha and Will Smith, second baseman Michael Massey said.
“They’ve been there (the series). I think it helped a lot of us,” Massey said. Just seeing how they behave. It helped us keep a cool head. »
Last year, the Orioles had a bye into the second round, but were swept there, 3-0, by the Texas Rangers.
We have to go back to 2012 for the last victory of the Orioles during the playoffs.
“When you lose like that, there’s frustration, anger and disappointment,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde admitted. We had opportunities in these two duels to turn things around, but it didn’t happen. »
Tigers 5-Astros 2 (Detroit wins series 2-0)
PHOTO THOMAS SHEA, USA TODAY SPORTS BY REUTERS CON
The Tigers celebrate their sweep at the end of the game.
Andy Ibanez broke a 2-2 tie with a three-run double in the four-run eighth inning for the Detroit Tigers, who posted a 5-2 victory and swept their first-round series against the Houston Astros.
Parker Meadows hit a solo home run in the victory. The Tigers thus ended the Astros’ streak of seven appearances in the American Championship Series.
“Even if no one was cheering us on, even if no one was putting us in a good position for the playoffs, we didn’t care,” Ibanez said. We just worked hard to get results. »
In the second round, the Tigers will face the Guardians starting Saturday afternoon in Cleveland.
“Our city is built on courage,” Tigers manager AJ Hinch said with a big smile. I remember saying I wanted a team that this city would be proud of.
“I think the city is pretty proud of what we do, how we do it and the determination of the players. »
Kerry Carpenter started the Tigers’ comeback in the eighth by hitting a single against Ryan Pressly (0-1), who had obtained the save in each of his last 14 attempts in the series.
Carpenter advanced to third base on a Matt Vierling single and came in to score on a bad pitch to tie the game 2-2.
Pressly was removed from the game after walking Colt Keith, but his replacement, Josh Hader, walked Spencer Torkelson to load the bases.
Hinch then sent Ibanez to hit in place of Zach McKinstry and he emptied the paths with his double.
Ibanez had not produced a run since September 10 and had a .167 batting average in September.
“He went through a tough time,” Hinch admitted. But his season resumes in October and he shows it well. »
Hader, who signed a five-year, $95 million contract last January, allowed three hits and two walks in one and a third innings.
The Tigers used seven pitchers following Tarik Skubal’s spectacular performance. Sean Guenther worked for a round and two thirds to win the second duel and Will Vest got the save in the ninth.
Astros starter Hunter Brown struck out nine batters in 5 1/3 innings. It was the first playoff start of his career.
The Tigers, who won their first series since 2013, are playing postseason baseball for the first time since 2014.
“They did whatever it took to win the series,” Astros second baseman Jose Altuve said.
This is the fourth sweep in Tigers history in the playoffs, following those in 2012, 2006 and 1984.
“It’s tough,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. But I want our guys to be proud of how far they’ve come. It was a very difficult season, but we still made the playoffs, which is our goal every year.
“We usually make it far in the playoffs, but that didn’t happen for us this year. I still want our guys to be proud of the resilience they have shown in recent months. »