HOUSTON — The Astros now know their opponent in the Wild Card round of the American League playoffs. It’ll be a showdown between Houston and the Detroit Tigers, who are led by Houston's former manager, AJ Hinch.
Framber Valdez gets the start for Houston in game 1 Tuesday at Minute Maid Park. Game 2 will be Wednesday October 2 and, if necessary, game 3 will be Thursday, Oct. 3. Pitching matchups games 2 and 3 haven't been announced yet. Each game in the series will have the first pitch at 1:32 p.m. and will be played in Houston.
If you’re wondering, the Astros are 4-2 against the Tigers this season. Hinch, as you may remember, was the Astros manager when the team won their first-ever World Series title in 2017. He and then-general manager Jeff Luhnow were fired from the team in the wake of the cheating scandal.
The Astros had to wait until the final day of the regular season to learn their first round opponent. Because Detroit fell to the Chicago White Sox on Sunday and Kansas City beat Atlanta on the road, the Tigers and Royals finished the season with identical records. Kansas City held the tie-breaker over Detroit, meaning the Tigers were the lowest seed in the postseason and will travel to Houston, the No. 3 seed, to start the best two-out-of-three series.
If Houston gets past the Tigers, they'll face the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Divisional Series.
The Baltimore Orioles have also secured their spot in the Wild Card round and will face Kansas City. The New York Yankees, like Cleveland, won’t play until the ALDS.
The Astros have been to the American League Championship Series in each of the last seven seasons. During that span, they've appeared in the World Series four times, winning twice.
