Peña and pain: Rhode Island product’s 18th-inning home run seals Astros sweep of Mariners, 1-0 – The Boston Globe

Spoiling Seattle’s first residence playoff look since 2001, Houston accomplished a three-game sweep of the ALDS. Subsequent up is the New York Yankees or Cleveland Guardians in Recreation 1 of the ALCS on Wednesday. The Guardians got here from behind to beat New York, 6-5, later Saturday to take a 2-1 sequence lead heading into Sunday night time’s Recreation 4.

Later, barely. Their recreation was within the eighth inning, regardless of beginning three and a half hours later, when issues lastly led to Seattle.

Whereas Yordan Alvarez bought the massive hits within the first two video games in Houston, it was Peña that set the desk for him. As Recreation 3 made its means into its sixth hour, Peña delivered one other painful blow to the Mariners that ended their brief return to the postseason.

After 21 years, Seattle followers welcomed playoff baseball again inside T-Cellular Park. They bought their cash’s price, after which some.

Three earlier playoff video games reached the 18th inning earlier than conclusion, one involving Houston. The Astros beat Atlanta, 7-6, in 18 innings in Recreation 4 of the 2005 NLDS on Chris Burke’s game-ending homer.

Recreation 2 of the 2014 NLDS between San Francisco and Washington and Recreation 3 of the 2018 World Collection between the Dodgers and the Purple Sox additionally went 18 innings. However these video games had runs. This one failed to provide something till Peña’s swing on a 3-and-2 pitch.

“I really feel like within the playoffs you may’t try to do an excessive amount of, particularly the later the sport goes,” Peña stated.

Seattle’s greatest scoring likelihood was Julio Rodríguez’s line drive that thudded off the wall within the eighth inning. Seattle had runners in scoring place within the thirteenth and seventeenth, however couldn’t get a key two-out hit in opposition to Houston’s very good bullpen.

In contrast to baseball’s common season, there isn’t a computerized runner when playoff video games go to further innings.

Luis Garcia labored 5 innings for the win. The Astros bullpen allowed 5 hits and struck out 15 following six innings from starter Lance McCullers Jr.

“Watching the entire thing the blokes are doing a very good job and I’m actually happy with them. . . . I used to be simply attempting to assist,” Garcia stated.

Seattle’s bullpen was almost nearly as good. After rookie George Kirby threw seven innings, 9 Mariners relievers mixed for 11 innings of five-hit ball.

The groups mixed to strike out 42 occasions, topping the postseason report of 39 set by the Guardians and Rays final week of their AL wild-card matchup that was scoreless for 15 innings earlier than Óscar González’s residence run despatched Cleveland to the ALDS.

“Their pitching was phenomenal right now as effectively. We stored placing the zero up there and stored placing the zero up there and also you suppose we’re going to have the ability to break via as a result of we have now so many occasions,” Seattle supervisor Scott Servais stated. “It’s type of what we’re accustomed to enjoying — these tight video games and discovering a means however there have been no errors made in that recreation right now.”

Houston superior regardless of a tough efficiency for Jose Altuve, who went 0 for 8 in Recreation 3 for the primary time in his profession and was hitless in 16 at-bats within the sequence.

Altuve joined Xander Bogaerts in that World Collection recreation as the one gamers to go 0 for 8 or worse in a postseason recreation. However Houston’s different items got here via, none larger than its younger shortstop who took on a outstanding function after Carlos Correa departed in free company.

Peña’s homer was his solely hit in eight at-bats, however his contributions within the first two video games helped Houston journey to Seattle with a 2-0 lead within the sequence.

For Mariners followers, watching the drama play out was an agonizing swing of feelings and nerves for the higher a part of the 6 hours and 22 minutes.

Traces snaked outdoors the doorway hours earlier than first pitch. Half the stadium appeared crammed 90 minutes earlier than Seattle took the sphere and all seats had been occupied when Felix Hernandez walked out from heart discipline to throw out a ceremonial first pitch to a deafening ovation.

The vitality and noise that accompanied 20 years of anticipation was pure exhilaration initially, however turned increasingly nervous the longer zeros stayed on the scoreboard. By the point the 14th-inning stretch was celebrated nearing the five-hour mark, these followers had been on the verge of exhaustion and prepared for finality.

It didn’t come till 4 innings later and was a disappointing conclusion after 20 years of ready.

Seattle’s return to the postseason was performed with a smoky haze and horrible air high quality engulfing the Puget Sound area. A shift in winds and wildfire nonetheless smoldering within the Cascade Mountains created a dingy haze above T-Cellular Park.