SEATTLE — Jeremy Peña homered in the 18th inning, and the Houston Astros beat the Seattle Mariners 1-0 on Saturday to advance to the AL Championship Series for the sixth straight year.
Peña drove a slider from Penn Murfee deep to left-center for the rookie shortstop's first playoff homer, providing the only run in an afternoon full of dominant pitching and empty trips to the plate. The 18 innings matched the longest game in playoff history.
Spoiling Seattle's first home playoff appearance since 2001, Houston completed a three-game sweep of the ALDS. Next up is the New York Yankees or Cleveland Guardians in Game 1 of the ALCS on Wednesday.
While Yordan Alvarez got the big hits in the first two games in Houston, it was Pena that set the table for Alvarez’s opportunities. As Game 3 made its way into its sixth hour, Peña delivered another painful blow to the Mariners that ended their short return to the postseason.
After 21 years, Seattle fans welcomed playoff baseball back inside T-Mobile Park. They got their money’s worth, and then some.
Three previous playoff games reached the 18th inning before conclusion, one involving Houston. The Astros beat the Atlanta Braves 7-6 in 18 innings in Game 4 of the 2005 NLDS on Chris Burke’s game-ending homer.
Game 2 of the 2014 NLDS between San Francisco and Washington and Game 3 of the 2018 World Series between Los Angeles and Boston also went 18 innings.
But those games had runs. This one failed to produce anything until Peña’s swing on a 3-2 pitch.
Seattle’s best scoring chance was Julio Rodríguez's line drive that thudded off the wall in the eighth inning. Seattle had runners in scoring position in the 13th and 17th, but couldn’t get a key two-out hit against Houston’s superb bullpen.
Unlike baseball's regular season, there is no automatic runner when playoff games go to extra innings.
Luis Garcia worked five innings for the win. The Astros bullpen allowed five hits and struck out 15 following six innings from starter Lance McCullers Jr.
Seattle’s bullpen was nearly just as good. After rookie George Kirby threw seven innings, nine Mariners relievers combined for 11 innings of five-hit ball.
The teams combined to strike out 42 times, topping the postseason record of 39 set by the Guardians and Rays last week in their AL wild-card matchup that was scoreless for 15 innings before Oscar Gonzalez’s home run sent Cleveland to the ALDS.
Houston advanced despite a rough performance for Jose Altuve, who went 0 for 8 in Game 3 for the first time in his career and was hitless in 16 at-bats in the series.
Altuve joined Xander Bogaerts in Game 3 of 2018 World Series versus the Dodgers as only players to go 0 for 8 or worse in a postseason game. But Houston's other pieces came through, none bigger than its young shortstop who took on a prominent role after Carlos Correa departed in free agency.
Peña’s homer was his only hit in eight at-bats. But it was his contributions in the first two games that helped Houston travel to Seattle with a 2-0 lead in the series.
For Mariners fans, watching the drama play out was an agonizing swing of emotions and nerves for the better part of the 6 hours and 22 minutes.
Lines snaked outside the entrance hours before first pitch. Half the stadium appeared filled 90 minutes before Seattle took the field and all seats were occupied when Felix Hernandez walked out from center field to throw out a ceremonial first pitch to a deafening ovation.
The energy and noise that accompanied two decades of anticipation was pure exhilaration at the start, but turned more and more nervous the longer zeros stayed on the scoreboard. By the time the 14th-inning stretch was celebrated nearing the five-hour mark, those fans were on the verge of exhaustion and ready for finality.
It didn’t come until four innings later and was a disappointing conclusion after two decades of waiting.
KING RETURNS
Hernandez spent 15 seasons with the Mariners but never had the opportunity of pitching in the postseason. Hernandez won 169 games and had a career 3.42 ERA, last pitching for Seattle in 2019.
SMOKEY AIR
Seattle’s return to the postseason was played with a smoky haze and terrible air quality engulfing the Puget Sound region. A shift in winds and wildfire still smoldering in the Cascade Mountains created a dingy haze above T-Mobile Park. The air quality index in Seattle at first pitch registered at 161.
ALDS game updates
Astros take the lead!
Jeremy Pena went deep to lead off the 18th inning, giving Houston a 1-0 lead over Seattle.
We're now scoreless in the 15th inning
The game is still scoreless in the 15th inning. It's getting close to the longest postseason game in history....and the longest scoreless one.
Houston misses opportunity in the ninth, so does Seattle.
The Astros had runners at second and third with one out in the top of the ninth, but consecutive strikeouts ended the threat. Seattle put two runners on in the bottom of the ninth, but also failed to score. So far, Houston has left 10 runners on base to Seattle's 7.
Astros leave another runner in scoring position
The Astros missed another opportunity to score the game's first run in the eighth. Alex Bregman doubled, but was left at second with Kyle Tucker struck out. Astros relievers are still holding Seattle hitters at bay. Still scoreless.
Astros miss another opportunity in the seventh.
The Astros put two more on base in the top of the seventh inning, but couldn't score as Christian Vázquez flied out and Jose Altuve struck out. Altuve is still looking for his first hit of the ALDS.
Lance McCullers is done for the day, going six innings, striking out 7. He kept the Mariners off the board in a scoreless game.
Astros load bases in fourth, but come up empty
Houston loaded the bases in the fourth, with a walk to Yordan Alvarez and single by Kyle Tucker. Then, Trey Mancini was hit by a pitch on a play that was reviewed to put runners at first, second and third. But Chaz McCormick flied out to center to end the threat. Still scoreless in Seattle.
Both Astros and Mariners threaten in the second
The Astros had a shot in the top of the second inning, putting runners at second and third with two outs after a double steal, but Chaz McCormick struck out to end the threat. McCullers ran into trouble in the bottom of the inning after walking the first two batters, but got the next three out. Astros and Mariners still scoreless.
Today’s game will be the first postseason game in Seattle in 21 years, and Mariners’ manager Scott Servais hopes that electric atmosphere helps his team stay alive for a Game 4.
“The factor that I don’t think is getting talked about enough and I think it’s going to show up tomorrow on the first inning is when there’s 45,000 Mariner fans in the stands pumped and ready to go, and all behind us. Because we certainly need it,” he said. “I talked about it when we clinched, ended the drought, how valuable our fan base has been to this team. This team really, somehow, we get wired, we get going when it's loud here.”
If Houston eliminates Seattle, they’ll be the first team in American League history to go to the ALCS in six consecutive seasons. If the Mariners win, it goes to a Game 4 in Seattle tomorrow. If Seattle wins Games 3 and 4, the series shifts back to Houston for Game 5 Monday.
First pitch today is at 3:07 p.m. We will have updates throughout the game on this page. Matt Musil is in the Pacific Northwest, covering the game for KHOU 11.
Houston Astros watch party
While Games 3 and 4 aren’t in Houston, you can still cheer on the home team surrounded by Astros faithful.
The Astros' official Game 3 watch party on Saturday is at Karbach Brewery at 2032 Karbach Street in Houston. First pitch isn’t until 3:07 p.m., but the party starts at 2 p.m.
And if the Astros aren’t able to complete the sweep on Saturday, Pitch 25, located at 2120 Walker Street, will host the official ALDS Game 4 watch party. The first pitch Sunday would be 2:07 p.m. The party would start at 1 p.m.
