Baltimore sends big-name Detroit home for winter
DETROIT— A runaway title in a division of behemoths, then an unexpected sweep against a trio of Cy Young winners. For Nelson Cruz, Buck Showalter and this unheralded bunch from Baltimore, the question nowis: What’s next?
Cruz sliced a two-run homer for his latest big postseason hit, and the Orioles held off the Detroit Tigers 2-1 Sunday to reach the ALCS for the first time since 1997.
Bud Norris outpitched David Price in Game 3 of the AL Division Series. The Tigers scored in the ninth inning and put the tying run on second with no outs, but closer Zach Britton escaped the jam to lift Showalter into his first LCS in 16 seasons as a manager.
“This is fun towatch. Believe me, I’m happier than you can imagine,” Showalter said. “But most of it comes from getting to see the players get what they’ve put into it.”
Baltimore opens the ALCS on Friday at home against Kansas City.
So often an afterthought in the rugged AL East, the Orioles won their first division title since 1997 this year, dispatching the second-place New York Yankees by 12 games— and last-place Boston by more than double that margin. That put Baltimore up against another of the game’s most recognizable rosters, and Miguel Cabrera, Justin Verlander and the Tigers couldn’t manage a single win.
Cruz’s homer Sunday was his 16th in postseason play, including eight against the Tigers. Hewas the MVP of the 2011 ALCS for Texas in a sixgame victory over Detroit.
Norris pitched two-hit ball for 61⁄3 innings, and Andrew Miller got five straight outs to keep the shutout going.
Victor Martinez and J.D. Martinez opened the ninth with back-to-back doubles off Britton. Bryan Holaday struck out after a failed bunt attempt, and Showalter made the unconventional decision to put the winning run on base by intentionally walking Nick Castellanos. The Tigers sent up Hernan Perez— who had five at-bats in the regular season— to pinch hit, and he bounced a 96mph fastball into a 5-4-3 double play.
Detroit won its fourth straight AL Central this year. But after reaching at least the ALCS the last three seasons, Detroit couldn’t make it there this year. The Tigers remain without a World Series title since 1984. “It’s disappointing. You feel like you let the fans down and you feel like you let the organization down,” said Brad Ausmus, who replaced Jim Leyland as Detroit’s manager after last season.
Detroit acquired Price at this year’s trade deadline, adding another impressive arm to an already-formidable rotation. Max Scherzer, Price and Verlander are the AL’s last three Cy Young Award winners, and the Tigers started them all in this series. Verlander and Cabrera have combined for the last three MVP awards.
“We got beat. There’s all there is to say,” Scherzer said. “We got outplayed in the series in every facet.”