The Rays were bailed out in the eighth inning with a key double play.
The Tampa Bay Rays held a narrow 2-1 lead late in Game 1 of the ALCS against the Houston Astros. Fans then witnessed the Astros load the bases in the top of the eighth with only one out, putting that lead on thin ice.
Manager Kevin Cash called upon reliever Diego Castillo to save the day and he did so with just one pitch.
One pitch, two outs. Diego Castillo is clutch. #ALCS pic.twitter.com/w2H47HEeCB
— MLB (@MLB) October 12, 2020
Rays turn a clutch play into a victory
The Rays offense wasn’t exactly dominating Sunday night and even a single by the Astros could have given Houston a commanding 3-2 lead. But Castillo forced that weak grounder from Yuli Gurriel and the lead was preserved.
But the drama didn’t end there. That 2-1 lead stayed the same heading into the top of the ninth and Castillo stayed in for the save. Josh Reddick reached with one out, was pinch-run for by Myles Straw, who was pushed to second base on a groundout.
It was now a showdown between Castillo and Jose Altuve. The former MVP came to the plate as the only Astro to drive in a run in the game. His shot at being a hero once again failed as Castillo struck him out and the Rays took home a 1-0 series lead.
The Astros are going to be kicking themselves after this one. Fans will also have plenty of jokes about how hard it is to win when you don’t know what pitch is coming. But that narrative is nothing new in 2020.
The Houston offense even out-hit the Rays by a margin of 9-6. However, this double play in the eighth inning was joined by one in the fourth that brought potential rallies to a screeching halt.
As for Castillo, he has been great this postseason. He appeared in three games against the New York Yankees in the ALDS and allowed zero runs in four total innings. The reliever has not allowed an earned run in general since September 2 and only allowed four runs in 21.2 innings during the regular season.
The Astros had their chance and blew it. However, the Rays offense will need to wake up as well if this series is going to be a short one in Tampa’s favor.