After 17 scoreless innings, the Houston Astros got the run they needed to help clinch the Game 3 win over the Seattle Mariners and advance to the ALCS.
The Houston Astros are once again ALCS bound. This time, for the sixth consecutive season, but it did not come easy.
Houston had a 2-0 series lead over the Mariners, including a thrilling come-from-behind victory in Game 1, as they played in Seattle on Saturday afternoon. The runs were very hard to come by. We’re talking 17 innings of scoreless baseball.
But in the top of the 18th, the Astros got the critical run they needed on a solo home run by rookie shortstop Jeremy Pena to take a 1-0 lead. That is all they needed, as Houston got the three outs needed to bring them four wins away from reaching the World Series for the fourth-time in six years.
Twitter reacts to Astros prevailing over Mariners in 18 inning-Game 3
There were plenty of reactions on Twitter regarding how long this game went and how hard it was for both teams to put runs on the scoreboard at T-Mobile Park.
Game 3 between the Astros and Mariners was historic, as it was the first postseason contest to be scoreless through 15 innings, per ESPN Stats and Info.
The Astros started Lance McCullers Jr., who struck out seven batters and allowed just two hits in six full innings. From there, manager Dusty Baker used seven different pitchers, who all did not allow a single run. Luis Garcia received the longest run of them all, as he threw five full innings and struck out six batters. Garcia also received the victory.
It was a tough way for the Mariners’ season to end. This was a winnable series for the Mariners. They were able to score six runs off Justin Verlander in Game 1 after all, but they could not close it out. In Game 3, they did everything in their power to stay in the series to stave off elimination, including an impressive catch by Julio Rodriguez in the top of the 16th inning. But it was not enough.
The Astros will now await the winner of the New York Yankees-Cleveland Guardians series.