Reliever Bryan King faced five batters in the second inning Tuesday and didn’t retire any as the White Sox tripled their lead en route to a Game 1 victory. This wasn’t some regular season blip; this was playoff baseball at Daikin Park, and the Astros looked completely lost when it mattered most. That 6-3 final score feels like a gut punch, setting the tone early for a wild-card series that’s already got the Astros on the ropes.
The Early Collapse That Snowballed
Man, what a mess in the first inning! Astros opener AJ Blubaugh walked Sam Antonacci, which is never how you want to start. Then Christian Walker took a grounder from Kyle Teel, stepped on the bag for the out, but bounced a throw to second base straight into left field. Are you kidding me? That error allowed Antonacci to scoot all the way to third. Instead of bases empty with two outs, the White Sox had a runner on third with just one out. Blubaugh then walked another batter, and Munetaka Murakami delivered a sacrifice fly to put Chicago on the board. Blubaugh issued his third walk before he was even pulled before finishing an inning. Talk about a shaky start!
Then came Bryan King in the second. After getting the final out of the first, the Astros sent him back out. Seriously? The guy had struggled mightily since the All-Star break and was demoted to Triple-A. Using him in a playoff game was a risky call that went bad so quickly it was painful to watch. He gave up consecutive singles, then hit Colson Montgomery to load the bases. Sam Antonacci drilled a two-run single, and Kyle Teel singled again to re-load the bases. King’s day was done, booed off the mound. The White Sox had tripled their lead, and that multi-run hole proved way too big to overcome.
Deep Shots and a Strikeout Looking That Still Stings
Just when you think maybe they can stabilize, Colson Montgomery, who had been slumping and dropped to the No. 9 spot, crushed a leadoff homer in the fourth inning off Miguel Ullola. That ball traveled an estimated 432 feet and hit off the center-field batter’s eye. Ullola had given them two electric innings before that, but Montgomery just absolutely demolished that pitch, pushing the score to 3-0. Every time the Astros seemed to get a breather, Chicago found a way to punch back.
Fast forward to the bottom of the eighth inning. Down 6-2, the Astros had one last gasp. Jeremy Peña and Yordan Alvarez ripped consecutive singles, putting runners on first and third with only one out. This was it; the heart of the order was coming up. But reliever Grant Taylor struck out Isaac Paredes. Then Jose Altuve hit a grounder, and third baseman Miguel Vargas’ throw was off the bag. Altuve was safe on the error, and a run scored! Now it was 6-3, and the tying run was at the plate. Yainer Diaz, a known free swinger, battled Taylor to a full count. You’re expecting him to smash one, right? Nope. He struck out looking at a curveball. Inning over. Game practically over. For a free swinger like Diaz to take a called third strike in that moment? Atypical, and absolutely crushing.
The Astros dropped Game 1 of this AL wild-card series 6-3. There’s no sugarcoating it. They’re facing an elimination game now. Every single pitch in Game 2 is do-or-die, and they need to find some answers fast if they want to keep their hopes alive. You just have to wonder what kind of adjustments they’re even capable of making after a brutal showing like that.
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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