The American League wild-card series kicks off today at 4:10 p.m. at Daikin Park, and what’s at stake in Game 1 is absolutely massive. The Houston Astros are throwing rookie A.J. Blubaugh as their opener, while the Chicago White Sox are countering with their own rookie lefty, Hagen Smith, who boasts a solid 3-3 record and a tiny 1.29 ERA. You can catch all the action on NBC Sports Network and Peacock.
Forget Game 2, This Is the Real Decider
Look, everyone talks about a best-of-three, but if you win Game 1, history says you’re basically set. Since MLB went to this best-of-3 format for the opening round in 2022, the team that wins Game 1 has gone on to win *15 of the 16 series*. Seriously, only one team, the 2025 Yankees, lost the opener to the Red Sox and still pulled out the series win. Eleven of those sixteen series ended in a sweep. So, yeah, this first game is everything. Hagen Smith’s 1.29 ERA isn’t something to ignore when the stakes are this high.
Astros Relying on Rookies and Home Field Hype
The Astros are feeling good about being at home for the entire wild-card series. Pitcher Hunter Brown, who’s set to start Game 2 on Wednesday, mentioned the clubhouse buzz about how loud that crowd gets. He should know, he was a key part of their bullpen in both the 2022 championship season and the 2023 American League Championship Series run. Brown has playoff experience, even if his only playoff start was a tough loss to the Tigers in 2024, where he still only gave up one run over 5 ⅔ innings. Manager Joe Espada also seems high on Tatsuya Imai, who made the playoff roster despite pitching sparingly late in the season. Espada loves Imai’s swing-and-miss stuff and his ability to give multiple innings if needed, citing six scoreless innings across four recent relief appearances.
Roster Moves and Game 1 Lineup
The Astros have confirmed their Game 1 lineup: Jeremy Peña at shortstop, Yordan Alvarez as the designated hitter, Isaac Paredes at third base, Jose Altuve at second, Yainer Diaz catching, Christian Walker at first, Lucas Spence in center field, Cam Smith in right field, and Taylor Trammell in left. A.J. Blubaugh gets the ball to start. On the roster front, reliever Steven Okert is out with a hamstring injury that kept him sidelined for the final month. But Tatsuya Imai made it, as did lefty Josh Hendrickson, who just debuted last week. They’re rolling with 12 pitchers and 14 position players. Joey Loperfido, who spent most of the second half in Triple-A, also got the nod over LaMonte Wade Jr., possibly for more speed and defense off the bench. There’s a chance Peter Lambert, who threw 103 pitches over the weekend against the Athletics, might even be available by Game 2.
This series kicks off with Game 1 today, and then it’s Hunter Brown for Game 2 tomorrow. Winning tonight is crucial, given how often the Game 1 winner takes the whole series. You won’t want to miss a pitch of this one.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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