Astros got a huge lift in the 9th over Seattle 8-7

Heavily favored Houston Astros came into the bottom of the 9th inning trailing by 2 runs to the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners had knocked out Astros’ starter Justin Verlander in the 4th inning by tacking on 10 hits and scoring 6 runs. The Mariners had momentum heading into the late innings, but you can never count out the Astros. The atmosphere inside of Minute Maid Park was very tense. Mariners sent out Paul Sewald, a closer option that has been consistent for Seattle all year long, averaging a 2.67 ERA.

It all came down to Yordan Alvarez. With 2 outs and 2 runners on base (Hensley hit by pitch, and Pena singled to center field) the winning run approached the plate after Mariners changed pitchers to Robbie Ray that is a former Cy Young Award winner in a relief role for Seattle. Alvarez was locked in on the first pitch fouling off a 94-mph sinker. From the moment he hit the foul ball, there was a gasp of deep breath throughout the entire stadium. Surprisingly Robbie Ray pitched the exact pitch, a 93-mph sinker, however he missed low and in and according to the scouting report, that is Yordan’s sweet spot.

Alvarez hammered a 3-run homerun into right field that measured 438 feet. It all resulted in excitement, relief, jubilation, and more importantly taking game 1 of the ALDS that left the city of Houston in a state of shock and exciting disbelief. Houston Astros are a ball club led by veterans and now carry the momentum into game 2 on Thursday night when they send Framber Valdez to the mound that is tied in the American League for ERA with 2.82 and a 17-6 record in the 2022 season.

Seattle Mariners will send their Ace, Luis Castillo, on Thursday that recently won game 1 of the AL Wildcard vs. Toronto Blue Jays with a 1.50 ERA. The series is far from over, but the Astros were 0-48 in their postseason history when trailing by more than a run after the eighth inning. Astros Ace, Justin Verlander, understands the importance of a game 1 victory even with his struggles, “I have to do better next time out, but here we are with a Game 1 win, and I couldn’t be happier.”