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    • Andy Ibanez plays the Tigers hero in a stunning Game 2 rally to defeat the Astros
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    Andy Ibanez plays the Tigers hero in a stunning Game 2 rally to defeat the Astros

    Madoc Meredith Posted on

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    Pop the champagne.

    Spray some more beer.

    The young, surprising Detroit Tigers are celebrating again.

    They stunned the Houston Astros on Wednesday afternoon, coming from behind with a 5-2 win at Minute Maid Park, winning the wild-card series and advancing to the best-of-five ALDS against the No. 2 seed Cleveland Guardians. Game 1 is Saturday in Cleveland (1:08 p.m., TBS). The Tigers will host Game 3 next Wednesday.

    It’s the continuation of a two-month magic carpet ride for this young team that just defeated the Astros, a team that had advanced to the ALCS in seven straight seasons.

    This time everything turned around in the beginning of the eighth inning.

    The game was tied, 2-2, and the bases were loaded with two outs. Tigers manager AJ Hinch turned to Andy Ibanez to face Josh Hader, the talented Astros closer. Ibanez came out swinging and fouled three shots.

    Then Ibanez blasted a triple into the left field corner, clearing the bases and giving the Tigers a stunning 5-2 lead.

    Sean Guenther, an unsung bullpen hero during that drive, took care of the bottom of the seventh and eighth.

    And Will Vest got the save in three batters, thanks in part to Parker Meadows, who made a diving catch in the ninth batter.

    More: When will the Tigers play at home in the MLB playoffs? How to buy ALDS tickets against Guardians

    Rooting for the Tigers?

    No. This game was all about: “Root 4 tha Chicken.”

    In the sixth inning, Parker Meadows hit a home run down the right field line. The ball began to curve and hit a sign connected to the foul pole that read, “Root 4 tha Chicken.”

    Meadows circled the bases as the Tigers took a 1-0 lead.

    INCREDIBLE DRAMA

    The game was full of drama and breath-holding moments, most of which happened with the Astros at the plate.

    It was like watching someone in a movie trying to walk through a minefield. Every step seemed dangerous. Every moment full of tension.

    It started in the first inning when Jose Altuve hit a ball down the third base line. But Zach McKinstry went hard to the right, grabbed the ball, placed it and shot down the field, slinging the ball to Spencer Torkelson, who stretched perfectly for the out-of-bounds shot.

    Or when Tyler Holton was pitching in the fourth inning and Alex Bregman smashed a 92 mph sinker into center field. But Parker Meadows tracked it down outside the wall.

    Or the time in the fourth inning when Jeremy Pena struggled with two hitters in the field and one hitter in the field. But Brant Hurter got him to hit a tailor-made one-two punch.

    Or the time Hinch turned to Brenan Hanifee to tackle Alex Bregman, who promptly hit a single to left.

    After walking Jeremy Pena, Jeremy Hayward fielded a couple of balls down the right field line, but both made an error. Barely. Both foul balls were breath-holding moments. And then he hit him in eight pitches.

    Or when Beau Brieske came into the game to face Altuva in the fifth inning with one man on first and one on the other side. He caused it to fly harmlessly into the middle.

    Or a moment later, when Brieske faced Kyle Tucker with a man on second. Brieske simply hit him.

    Or when Brieske faced Bregman in the sixth with a runner on and no outs. But he lined up with Riley Greene on the left.

    Detroit native Hunter Brown closes out the Tigers

    One of the most memorable moments of that game was when the Tigers faced Hunter Brown, a 26-year-old pitcher from St. Clair Shores Lakeview High School.

    You had to assume he played at Michigan or Michigan State, right? No.

    So surely he had to pitch in central Michigan, eastern or western Michigan, right? No.

    He was a pitcher at Wayne State, a Division II school that offers partial scholarships for baseball.

    He has walked the difficult path to this moment and deserves all sorts of recognition.

    Here was a hometown boy, pitching against the team he rooted for as a kid, and he was striking out, throwing strikes, and allowing just one hit in four innings in a must-win game.

    But the streak ended in the start of the sixth when Meadows hit a home run that was hardly fair. Brown was pulled in the top of the sixth when the Tigers held a 1-0 lead. He had thrown 99 pitches, had nine strikeouts and allowed just two hits, earning him a standing ovation from the crowd.

    Jackson Jobe’s move isn’t working

    In the seventh inning, with the Tigers leading 1-0, Hinch turned to Jackson Jobe, a rookie who had only four innings of MLB experience, and promptly struck out Victor Caratini. Then Jeremy Pena flicked the ball into the middle. After a mound visit and a pitching com situation, Mauricio Dubon erupted, but the Tigers couldn’t play.

    With the bases loaded and no outs, Jobe faced Jon Singleton, a pinch-hitter. He hit a grounder to Spencer Torkelson, who dove, caught it and threw it home from his knees, but Jake Rogers couldn’t make it.

    So here came Jose Altuve. He hit a foul ball to Matt Vierling on the right side, who caught it in foul territory and couldn’t eject Pena as the Astros took a 2-1 lead.

    But all that was ruined by Ibanez.

    More: The Detroit Tigers’ secret is out: A rare team meeting sparked a stunning MLB playoff surge

    Mix and match

    The Tigers started Tyler Holton pitching in the eighth inning of Game 1 on Tuesday.

    Holton did his job perfectly, getting through the first inning without any damage and throwing only 18 pitches.

    Then Hinch started rolling through his bullpen.

    “Obviously (Tarik) Skubal isn’t pitching today,” Hinch told ABC midway through the fourth. “We have 11 other people. They are all available. We’ll see how the rest of the game plays out.”

    Hinch went to Brenan Hanifee for 1.2 innings.

    Brant Hurter for 1.2.

    Beau Brieske for 1⅔.

    Work out for one.

    Günther went 1⅔.

    And Vest made the save.

    More: Give Scott Harris credit: his plan is clearly working for the Detroit Tigers

    Contact Jeff Seidel: [email protected]. Follow him on X @seideljeff. To read his latest columns, go to freep.com/sports/jeff-seidel.

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    Madoc Meredith
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