Riding the wave of an improbable September surge that secured the franchise’s first postseason berth in a decade, the Detroit Tigers collected yet another memorable victory Tuesday, with a 3-1 win over the Houston Astros in Game 1 of the American League Wild-Card Series.
The Tigers, with a roster loaded with rookies who barely knew what it meant to still be playing at this point in the calendar, appeared to be substantial underdogs as they arrived in Houston to face a team that has become synonymous with postseason baseball. Yet in this laughably lopsided matchup in terms of October experience, ace left-hander Tarik Skubal proved to be the ultimate equalizer for Detroit.