The one-line summary here is that the Astros are moving on to the 2022 ALCS after sweeping the Mariners in the ALDS. But there's a lot to say about Houston's clinching victory.
The AL's top seed needed 18 innings Saturday to knock off No. 5 Seattle 1-0 in Game 3. The 6-hour, 22-minute marathon was the fourth postseason game in MLB history to get to 18 innings. It was the first game to go to the 18th with a 0-0 score.
The Sporting News came up with a lineup of nine things to know about this game, one for each of the the nine bonus innings of October baseball:
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1. Jeremy Pena is a worthy successor to Carlos Correa. The Game 3 offensive hero — his solo home run in the top of the 18th gave Houston the lead — has turned the transition to a new shortstop in Houston into a success. The 25-year-old rookie slugged 22 home runs in the regular season to go with a league-average OPS+. Now he has a big postseason accomplishment, too.
2. Luis Garcia showed how deep Houston's pitching is. Garcia, who threw 157 1/3 innings in the regular season, worked the final five innings Saturday in relief, allowing two hits and no walks while striking out six. Justin Verlander, Framber Valdez and Lance McCullers Jr. (six scoreless on Saturday) were the starters in the series. And if Garcia had needed help, Jose Urquidy and Cristian Javier, two of Houston's other regular starters in 2022, were available.
3. Don't forget about the regular relievers. Hector Neris, Rafael Montero, Ryan Pressly, Bryan Abreu, Ryne Stanek and rookie Hunter Brown combined for seven scoreless frames and nine Ks after McCullers left.
4. Houston won the series despite Jose Altuve going hitless. The second baseman went 0 for 8 from the leadoff spot Saturday to cap an 0-for-16 series with six strikeouts. He gets a fresh start next week in the ALCS.
5. The moment was not too big for Julio Rodriguez. The AL Rookie of the Year favorite wasn't great at the plate in his first postseason (.217/.357/.435 slash line, seven Ks). That included a 1-for-7 performance Saturday. But he made the defensive play of Game 3, a sliding catch in the right-center gap to keep Houston from taking the lead in the 16th. A huge play from a young star.
6. Seattle's young core looks very promising. Rodriguez did things Saturday. So did rookie right-hander George Kirby, who threw seven scoreless innings as Seattle's Game 3 starter. Rodriguez, Kirby, right-hander Logan Gilbert and catcher Cal Raleigh are a pretty good place to start with Seattle's roster.
7. Jarred Kelenic, on the other hand . . . Seattle's other young outfielder ended his postseason with a .118/.111/.118 slash line after an 0-for-7, four-K day and night. It's getting late for one of the main pieces in the Edwin Diaz trade.
8. The numbers are . . . Not pretty if offense is your thing. Forty-two total strikeouts, four total walks, 18 total hits, three total extra-base hits, zero hits with runners in scoring position, 509 total pitches. An epic pitcher's duel or a feeble hitting display? Both things can be true, especially in a postseason that has had its share of low-scoring duels.
9. Good luck to the Yankees or Guardians in the ALCS. The Astros are in the league championship series for the sixth year in a row. They showed their toughness against the Mariners, starting with their ninth-inning rally in Game 1. Now, they get to rest their pitchers after the sweep. And, they'll start the series at home, where they were 55-26 in the regular season.
