Ibañez pummels Astros as Tigers advance to ALDS against Cleveland

Houston — It was designed for a fairytale ending. And in the end there was one.

Although it may not be what anyone expected.

The Detroit Tigers, who were eight games under .500 as of Aug. 10, are headed to the American League Division Series.

They erupted for four runs in the top of the eighth inning, perfected by a three-run double and a pinch-hit double from Andy Ibañez, and finished off the heavily favored Houston Astros with a 5-2 win The crowd in Minute Maid Park was able to refute what had previously been violent.

It will be the Tigers’ first trip to the ALDS since 2013.

The Tigers took a 2-1 lead into the top of the eighth. The original fairy tale scenario had spread to them at the end of the seventh part.

Before us, 1-0 and nine outs from the finish line, the bullpen doors opened and out came 22-year-old rookie Jackson Jobe with four big league innings under his belt.

History wrote itself. But this fairy tale turned into a nightmare.

On the first pitch, Jobe threw to leadoff hitter Victor Caratini. Jeremy Peña followed with a bloop single. Mauricio Dubon achieved his breakthrough with a big single.

Bases loaded, no outs in nine pitches.

Left-handed pinch-hitter Jon Singleton hit a ground ball to right off first baseman Spencer Torkelson. He stopped the ball with a dive, but his hurried throw to the plate bounced and catcher Jake Rogers couldn’t catch it.

Drawn game.

Next, Jose Altuve threw a foul fly ball 197 feet over the right field line. Matt Vierling caught the ball with his momentum toward the plate and made a strong throw. But Peña prevailed and the Astros took a 2-1 lead.

They still had runners on the corners, one of whom was out. Manager AJ Hinch, who was largely pulling the strings in this game, called up left-back Sean Guenther.

Right move.

In two throws, he got left-hander Kyle Tucker to hit a 4-6-3 double play.

As powerful as this punch in the stomach was, Günther prevented it from becoming a knockout blow.

Against right-hander Ryan Pressly in the eighth, Kerry Carpenter and Matt Vierling singled. Carpenter, as the Tigers have been doing for the past two months, stormed to third base and scored on a wild pitch to tie the game at 2-0.

After Riley Greene struck out, Colt Keith issued a walk and Astros manager Joe Espada brought lefty Josh Hader into the game.

Torkelson drew a walk to load the bases, and Hinch sent fellow left-hander Ibañez up.

Ibañez struggled in September but posted an .802 OPS against lefties during the season.

Ibañez hit a 1-2 sinker into the gap in left, clearing the bases.

Craziness.

Will Vest closed out the ninth with the help of another highlight-reel catch from Parker Meadows in center field.

There are so many pivotal points in this game.

Manager AJ Hinch promised pitching chaos and delivered in Game 2, particularly when he lifted opener Tyler Holton after three batters and brought in right-hander Brenan Hanifee in the second inning.

It wasn’t supposed to be an opener, mass relief game. It was supposed to be inning-by-inning matchup baseball.

Things got tough for Hanifee in the second inning when he gave up a single to Alex Bregman on his first pitch and then struck out Pena with two outs. Hinch, wanting to save left-hander Brant Hurter for the dangerous lefties at the top of the Astros’ lineup, rolled Hanifee against left-hander Jason Heyward.

Hayward placed two foul balls along the first base line. Both runners would have scored points. Finally, Hurter lifted a fastball and sent Heyward swinging.

Hanifee struck out Jose Altuve early in the third and then left Hurter, who didn’t have the lead as usual. But he was able to create inning-ending double plays in crucial situations.

After striking out Kyle Tucker in the third, he got Yordan Alvarez to roll to second base. In the fourth period, with two hits and after hitting Victor Caratini with a sweeper, he got Peña to jump into a 6-4-3 double play.

Beau Brieske, who got the save in Game 1 and gave up the decisive runs with one out, was called out again in the fifth inning on Wednesday with a runner on and one out.

He calmly sent out Altuve and Tucker to end the inning. Hinch sent him back in the sixth as the core of the Astros’ order drew closer. No problem. He went to Alvarez, but with Bregman on the line, Yainer Diaz caught a 5-4-3 double play.

The Tigers, meanwhile, were bullied by a hometown product. From his first pitch, it was clear that Wayne State University pitcher Hunter Brown was on a mission. He fired quads and sinkers at a speed of 98 miles per hour and smashed bats with cutters at a speed of 93 miles per hour.

He ended up striking out nine and allowing two hits in 5.2 innings. Somehow fitting. The Tigers have helped him do everything right all year long.

When the Astros came to Comerica Park in May, Brown had an ERA over 8.0 and had been relegated to the bullpen. But in the second game of the series, Brown came into the game and struck out seven in five strong innings.

He found every correction he needed to make and from that point on made 23 starts with a 2.46 ERA while holding hitters to a .216/.278/.311 slash line with 150 strikeouts in 142, Lasted 2 innings. During that time, he shut out the Tigers over seven innings with nine strikeouts at Minute Maid Park.

On Wednesday he was dominant again. The only flaw was the 94 mph four-seater, which Meadows catapulted off the pole with a clatter.

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@cmccosky

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