Houston Astros bullpen overlooked part of ALDS Game 1 win over Seattle Mariners

The walkoff home run by Yordan Alvarez may have grabbed the headlines and highlights on Tuesday, but the Houston Astros bullpen set up the ninth-inning moment with some dominant pitching.

After Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander was rocked for six runs and 10 hits in just four innings on Tuesday afternoon, four Astros relievers combined to limit the Seattle Mariners to just three hits and one run over the next five innings. By quieting the Seattle offense, which was high-octane against Verlander, the Astros bullpen allowed Houston’s bats to rally for an 8-7 victory, highlighted by the three-run bomb from Alvarez in the bottom of the ninth.

Without the Houston Astros bullpen being effective, the Seattle Mariners might have stolen Game 1

Verlander said after the game that he “could have made better pitches,” but also credited Seattle’s approach at the plate for their early success against him. That approach changed, however, when Verlander left the game in the top of the fifth.

Bryan Abreu, Cristian Javier, Hunter Brown, and Rafael Montero combined to finish out the game, with Javier giving up the only run on a solo homer from Eugenio Suarez in the seventh. Those four pitchers combined to throw 78 pitches over the game’s final five frames. Verlander needed 81 in his four innings, showing just how effective Houston’s bullpen was when it was called upon.

“Everybody goes down there prepared to pitch, ready to pitch,” Astros closer Ryan Pressly said on Tuesday of the bullpen’s mindset. “So I think that’s been the biggest thing is the communication that [pitching coaches Josh] Miller and Murph [Bill Murphy] and [manager] Dusty [Baker] has had with us has prepared us for the roles that we’ve been put in. So it’s been relatively smooth in how we approach each game.”

Alex Bregman, who went 1-for-3 in the game and was on deck when Alvarez hit the game-winner, said the multiple players used by Baker at the plate and the mound on Tuesday said something about Houston’s chemistry this season.

“We know how important 27 outs are, especially in the postseason,” Bregman said. “I thought Dusty did a great job. He managed this game like we were going to win it from the first pitch. He has the ultimate confidence in every single person on this roster. You saw that today with how many guys were used.

“That goes for the team too. We have confidence in every single person that’s on this roster. It takes every single person if you want to win in the postseason.”

Houston demonstrated that in Game 1 with a four-man bullpen effort that might have been overshadowed by ninth-inning fireworks, but was just as important in the game’s outcome.