Peña hits 18th-inning homer as Astros sweep Mariners, advance to ALCS

Jeremy Peña homered within the 18th inning, and the Houston Astros beat the Seattle Mariners 1-0 on Saturday to advance to the AL Championship Series for the sixth straight yr.

Peña drove a slider from Penn Murfee deep to left-centre for the rookie shortstop’s first playoff homer, offering the one run in a day filled with dominant pitching and empty journeys to the plate. The 18 innings matched the longest recreation in playoff historical past.

Spoiling Seattle’s first residence playoff look since 2001, Houston accomplished a three-game sweep of the ALDS. Next up is the New York Yankees or Cleveland Guardians in Game 1 of the ALCS on Wednesday.

While Yordan Alvarez bought the large hits within the first two video games in Houston, it was Peña that set the desk for Alvarez’s alternatives. As Game 3 made its method into its sixth hour, Peña delivered one other painful blow to the Mariners that ended their quick return to the post-season.

After 21 years, Seattle followers welcomed playoff baseball again inside T-Mobile 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 the Atlanta Braves 7-6 in 18 innings in Game 4 of the 2005 NLDS on Chris Burke’s game-ending homer.

Game 2 of the 2014 NLDS between San Francisco and Washington and Game 3 of the 2018 World Series between Los Angeles and Boston additionally went 18 innings.

But these video games had runs. This one failed to produce something till Peña’s swing on a 3-2 pitch.

Unlike baseball’s common season, there is no such thing as a automated runner when playoff video games go to additional 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.

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

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

Phillies prevail towards Atlanta

Brandon Marsh hit a three-run homer and J.T. Realmuto lined an inside-the-park residence run that despatched the Philadelphia Phillies bolting headfirst into the NL Championship Series for the primary time since 2010 with an 8-3 win over Atlanta in Game 4 Saturday.

Realmuto turned the primary catcher to hit an inside-the-parker in post-season historical past and Bryce Harper punctuated the romp with a clinching residence run that helped the Phillies take the NL Division Series 3-1 towards the World Series champion.

Atlanta’s loss meant Major League Baseball hasn’t had a repeat champ because the New York Yankees received three straight from 1998-2000.

Philadelphia completed third within the NL East, 14 video games behind the 101-win Atlanta membership this season, however now’s hitting on all cylinders below supervisor Rob Thomson. He took over for the fired Joe Girardi and reworked a group that was 22-29 in early June.

And the Phillies used a dose of Marsh Madness to preserve the get together rolling in October.

Heck, name it Mash Madness, as the Phillies turned Citizens Bank Park into a comfy residence bandbox for the second straight recreation — and with one other fired-up, towel-waving crowd alongside for each lengthy ball.

Atlanta starter Charlie Morton was hit on his pitching elbow by Alec Bohm’s single touring 71.9 mph to lead off the inning. After being checked, Morton allowed a single to Jean Segura and hung a 2-2 curveball that the No. 9 hitter Marsh launched deep into the best discipline seats for a 3-0 lead.

Reliever Brad Hand was one among six Philadelphia pitchers and bought the win.

Syndergaard, bumped from the rotation on the finish of the season, wasn’t requested by Thomson to do a lot aside from preserve the Phillies within the recreation. Maybe go unscathed as soon as across the order . Syndergaard delivered with three strikeouts in three innings in a short throwback to his commanding “Thor” days with the New York Mets.

Orlando Arcia hit a solo shot off him within the third to make it 3-1.

Realmuto then hustled his method into post-season historical past.

He related to lead off the third inning towards reliever Collin McHugh. The ball hit the angled portion of the wall past the attain of centre fielder Michael Harris II, and the carom rolled alongside the warning observe towards right-centre. Ronald Acuna Jr. stood in proper discipline watching the play, and did not begin operating towards the ball till Realmuto was effectively previous first base. Realmuto, who runs extraordinarily effectively for a catcher, made a headfirst slide into the plate, effectively forward of the relay.

With that, it was bedlam contained in the park, as a sellout crowd of 45,660 was deliriously cheering, each sense tingling that there wasn’t going to be a Game 5.

Nope. Just Game 3 of the NLCS again in Philly on Friday.

Padres rally to stun Dodgers, attain NLCS

Jake Cronenworth hit a tie-breaking, two-run single with two outs within the seventh inning and the San Diego Padres rallied previous the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-3 Saturday night time to advance to the NL Championship Series for the primary time since 1998.

The Padres shocked the 111-win Dodgers with the five-run rally to win the best-of-five NL Division Series 3-1 in entrance of a raucous sellout crowd of 45,139 at Petco Park.

The recreation was delayed 31 minutes firstly by rain, which returned within the eighth inning and prompted a brief delay whereas the grounds crew labored on the mound.

After left-hander Tyler Anderson stymied the Padres by way of 5 scoreless innings, the Padres broke by way of towards the Dodgers’ bullpen within the seventh.

Jurickson Profar drew a leadoff stroll towards Tommy Kahnle, took third on Trent Grisham’s single to proper and scored when Austin Nola’s infield single glanced off the glove of first baseman Freddie Freeman. Yency Almonte, who took the loss, got here on and and was greeted by Kim Ha-seong’s RBI double down the left discipline line, adopted by Juan Soto’s tying single to proper.

With two outs and the gang on it toes, Cronenworth singled to centre off native product Alex Vesia to give the Padres the lead, punching the air together with his proper fist and hollering as he pulled into second base on the throw residence. Soto, acquired from Washington in a blockbuster commerce on Aug. 2, slid residence headfirst and jumped up and cheered.

Guardians push Yankees to brink of elimination

Rookie Oscar Gonzalez hit a two-run single with two outs within the ninth inning, rallying the Cleveland Guardians to a 6-5 win over the New York Yankees on Saturday night time for a 2-1 lead of their AL Division Series.

Gonzalez, a hero earlier within the post-season as effectively, lined a 1-2 pitch from Clarke Schmidt by way of the center to rating rookie Steven Kwan and Amed Rosario as the younger Guardians, who’ve proven no worry throughout this storybook season, rallied as soon as once more and pushed the Yankees to the brink of elimination.

Aaron Judge hit a two-run homer for New York, which carried a 5-3 lead into the ninth earlier than its bullpen flopped and the Guardians staged yet one more comeback win.

Game 4 is Sunday night time, when the Yankees flip to ace Gerrit Cole to stop an early postseason exit.

Before Cleveland’s comeback, the Yankees had been 167-0 within the post-season when getting into the ninth inning with a multiple-run lead.