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2024 American League Wild Card Series

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2024 American League Wild Card Series
Teams
Team (Wins) Manager Season
Houston Astros (0) Joe Espada 88–73 (.547), GA: 3+1⁄2
Detroit Tigers (1) A.J. Hinch 86–76 (.531), GB: 6+1⁄2
DatesOctober 1–3
TelevisionABC
TV announcersMichael Kay, Todd Frazier, Tim Kurkjian, and Alden González
RadioESPN
Radio announcersDave O'Brien and Will Middlebrooks
UmpiresJordan Baker, Will Little, Alfonso Márquez (crew chief), Tony Randazzo, Jeremie Rehak, Junior Valentine
Teams
Team (Wins) Manager Season
Baltimore Orioles (0) Brandon Hyde 91–71 (.562), GB: 3
Kansas City Royals (1) Matt Quatraro 86–76 (.531), GB: 6+1⁄2
DatesOctober 1–3
TelevisionESPN2 (Game 1)
ESPN (Games 2 and 3)
TV announcersSean McDonough, Jessica Mendoza, Ben McDonald, and Jeff Passan
RadioESPN
Radio announcersMike Monaco and Rubén Amaro Jr.
UmpiresRyan Additon, Nic Lentz, Ben May, Bill Miller (crew chief), Malachi Moore, David Rackley
← 2023 ALWCS

The 2024 American League Wild Card Series are two best-of-three playoff series in Major League Baseball (MLB) that determined the participating teams of the 2024 American League Division Series (ALDS). Matching with the NL Wild Card, both matchups began on October 1, with Game 2 scheduled for October 2 and Game 3 (if necessary) for October 3. ESPN will broadcast both Wild Card Series in the United States together with ESPN Radio.[1][2]

These matchups are:

Background

The lowest-seeded division winner and three wild card teams in each league play in a best-of-three series after the end of the regular season. The winners of each league's wild card rounds advance to face the two best division winners in that league's Division Series.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch (pictured in 2015 with the Astros)

The Houston Astros (88–73) qualified for the postseason as the American League West division winner, clinching the division by beating the Seattle Mariners on September 24.[3] As the team with the lowest record among other division winners in the American League for this season, they are locked into the third seed following the Cleveland Guardians' win over the Cincinnati Reds on September 24, which resulted in the Guardians clinching a first-round bye.[4] With the postseason berth, the Astros extended their streak of appearances to eight, the fourth longest in MLB history. They will host the Detroit Tigers (86–76), who clinched a postseason berth on September 27 with a victory against the Chicago White Sox.[5] The Tigers, who held just a 0.2% chance of a postseason berth on August 2 when they were 9+1⁄2 games back from a wild card spot,[6] are making their first postseason appearance since 2014, ending the longest current postseason drought they shared with the Los Angeles Angels. The Astros won both series against the Tigers this season, as both meetings took place when both teams were under .500 in May and June. Five years ago, Tigers' manager A.J. Hinch — then manager of the Houston Astros — lost in the 2019 World Series. Hinch was fired by the Astros less than three months later, and issued a one-season suspension by MLB for his role in the sign-stealing scandal that took place in 2017, the year the Astros won the World Series.[7] This will be the first postseason meeting between the Astros and the Tigers.

The Baltimore Orioles (91–71) qualified for the postseason with a victory on September 24.[8] They were locked into the Wild Card spot with a loss to the New York Yankees on September 26, ending their division title aspirations, and clinched the fourth seed the next night by beating the Minnesota Twins.[9][10] This is Baltimore's second straight postseason berth. They will host the Kansas City Royals (86–76), who qualified for the postseason with the Minnesota Twins loss on September 27 to the Baltimore Orioles, thus eliminating Minnesota from postseason contention. The Royals are playing in their first postseason since they won the World Series back in 2015 and are just the third team to make the postseason after losing 100+ games the previous year.[11][12] The Orioles won the season series against the Royals, winning both series in April.[13] Their only previous postseason meeting came in the 2014 American League Championship Series, which saw Kansas City sweep Baltimore to advance to their first World Series in 29 years.

As the top two seeds, the New York Yankees (94–68) and Cleveland Guardians (92–69) earned a first-round bye and home-field advantage in the ALDS.[14][15][16] This was the first year since 2014 that no team in Major League Baseball have won 100 games or more.[17]

Matchups

Houston Astros vs. Detroit Tigers

Detroit leads the series, 1–0.

Game Date Score Location Time Attendance 
1 October 1 Detroit Tigers – 3, Houston Astros – 1 Minute Maid Park 3:01 40,617[18] 
2 October 2 Detroit Tigers at Houston Astros Minute Maid Park 2:32 pm EDT/1:32 pm CDT -[19] 
3 October 3† Detroit Tigers at Houston Astros Minute Maid Park 2:32 pm EDT/1:32 pm CDT -

† If necessary

Baltimore Orioles vs. Kansas City Royals

Kansas City leads the series, 1–0.

Game Date Score Location Time Attendance 
1 October 1 Kansas City Royals – 1, Baltimore Orioles – 0 Oriole Park at Camden Yards 2:25 41,506[20] 
2 October 2 Kansas City Royals at Baltimore Orioles Oriole Park at Camden Yards 4:38 pm EDT - 
3 October 3† Kansas City Royals at Baltimore Orioles Oriole Park at Camden Yards 4:08 pm EDT -

† If necessary

Houston vs. Detroit

This is the first postseason meeting between the Houston Astros and Detroit Tigers.

Game 1

October 1, 2024 1:32 pm (CDT) at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas 73 °F (23 °C), Roof Closed
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Detroit 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 10 0
Houston 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 7 0
WP: Tarik Skubal (1–0)   LP: Framber Valdez (0–1)   Sv: Beau Brieske (1)
Attendance: 40,617
Boxscore

In the top of the second, Jake Rogers hit an RBI single off Framber Valdez to lead the Tigers 1–0, then a back-to-back RBI single by Trey Sweeney to extend their lead to 2–0, and a back-to-back-to-back RBI single by Matt Vierling to further extend their lead to 3–0. Tarik Skubal, who won the Triple Crown in the American League as a pitcher, threw six scoreless innings and struck out six to earn his first playoff pitching win in his career. The Tigers carried a shutout into the ninth inning when Yainer Diaz hit an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth to score pinch-runner Zach Dezenzo as the Astros' only run in the game. With the bases loaded with two outs in the same inning, Beau Brieske escapes the bases-loaded jam by getting Jason Heyward to lineout to Spencer Torkelson for the final out of the game for the Tigers to take Game 1 of the series, creating a win-or-go-home situation for the Astros in Game 2. Additionally, with this loss, the Astros lost six consecutive home games in the playoffs since they last won their home playoff game in Game 1 of last year's ALDS.

Game 2

October 2, 2024 1:32 pm (CDT) at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Detroit - - - - - - - - - 0 0 0
Houston - - - - - - - - - 0 0 0
Starting pitchers:
DET: Tyler Holton (0–0)
HOU: Hunter Brown (0–0)
Boxscore

Baltimore vs. Kansas City

This is the second meeting between the Baltimore Orioles and the Kansas City Royals in the postseason, with the last being in the 2014 American League Championship Series, in which Kansas City swept.

Game 1

October 1, 2024 4:08 pm (EDT) at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland 68 °F (23 °C), Overcast
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Kansas City 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 5 0
Baltimore 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0
WP: Cole Ragans (1–0)   LP: Corbin Burnes (0–1)   Sv: Lucas Erceg (1)
Attendance: 41,506
Boxscore

In the top of the sixth, Bobby Witt Jr. delivered an RBI single off Corbin Burnes to score Maikel Garcia, leading the Royals at 1–0. That would be enough for the Royals, who were playing in their first postseason game since Game 5 of their World Series-clinching victory in 2015. Cole Ragans threw six scoreless innings and struck out eight to earn his first playoff pitching win in his career. The Orioles left seven batters on base and Lucas Erceg got the save by striking out two, extending the Orioles’ league-leading playoff game losing streak to nine games.

Game 2

October 2, 2024 4:38 pm (EDT) at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Kansas City - - - - - - - - - 0 0 0
Baltimore - - - - - - - - - 0 0 0
Starting pitchers:
KC: Seth Lugo (0–0)
BAL: Zach Eflin (0–0)
Boxscore

See also

References

  1. ^ Foster, Jason (August 1, 2024). "Postseason schedule announced; flexible start date for World Series". MLB.com. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  2. ^ Snyder, Matt (August 1, 2024). "MLB releases 2024 playoffs schedule: Dates for every postseason series, plus why the World Series could move". CBS Sports. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  3. ^ "Astros clinch American League West division title for seventh time in eight seasons". MLB.com. September 24, 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  4. ^ Bell, Mandy (September 24, 2024). "Guardians clinch first-round bye behind Bibee's dominant start". MLB.com. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  5. ^ Sankofa, Omari. "Tigers vs. White Sox game score: Live updates, highlights with playoff berth in grasp". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  6. ^ Wells, Seth (September 27, 2024). "Here's how the Tigers can clinch a playoff spot as early as Friday night". WILX. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  7. ^ Petzold, Evan. "Detroit Tigers to play Houston Astros in MLB playoffs wild-card series". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  8. ^ "Orioles 5-3 Yankees (Sep 24, 2024) Game Recap". ESPN. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  9. ^ "Yankees 10-1 Orioles (Sep 26, 2024) Game Recap". ESPN. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  10. ^ "Orioles 7-2 Twins (Sep 27, 2024) Game Recap". ESPN. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  11. ^ Rogers, Anne (September 27, 2024). "Royals 'cherish' going from 106 losses to improbable Wild Card berth". MLB.com. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  12. ^ Langs, Sarah. "made playoffs season after losing 100+ games: 2024 Royals (106 losses in '23) 2020 Marlins (105 losses in '19) 2017 Twins (103 losses in '16)". Twitter. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  13. ^ "Orioles Vs. Royals Record This Season". StatMuse. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  14. ^ Bell, Mandy (September 24, 2024). "Yankees crush O's to win 21st division title". MLB.com. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  15. ^ Bell, Mandy (September 24, 2024). "Guardians clinch first-round bye behind Bibee's dominant start". MLB.com. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  16. ^ Kirschner, Chris. "Yankees clinch No. 1 seed in American League over Guardians, earn first-round bye in postseason". The New York Times. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  17. ^ Jake, Mintz (September 23, 2024). "No team in MLB is going to win 100 games this year. Why?". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  18. ^ "Tigers 3, Astros 1 Final Score". MLB.com. October 1, 2024. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  19. ^ "Tigers at Astros Preview". MLB.com. September 29, 2024. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  20. ^ "Royals 1, Orioles 0 Final Score". October 1, 2024. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
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