Andy Ibañez knocks Astros out of playoffs with clutch hit

The Houston Astros have been eliminated from the playoffs, and Andy Ibañez is a big reason why.

Ibañez served as a pinch hitter in the top of the 8th inning for his Detroit Tigers in Game 2 of their AL Wild Card Series with the Astros on Wednesday. Ibañez stepped into a bases loaded situation with two outs against reliever Josh Hader and was facing a 1-2 count with the game tied at 2.

It couldn’t have been more of a pressure-packed situation for Ibañez, who came through with a bases-clearing triple against the 5-time All-Star reliever. Ibañez laced a 98-mph fastball into the left field corner.

That clutch hit was the difference.

Detroit’s bullpen was able to get the final six outs to preserve a 5-2 win for the Tigers, who swept the best-of-3 series despite being on the road.

The Tigers have now advanced to the ALDS, where they will face the Cleveland Guardians.

Ibañez is a platoon player who specializes in hitting off lefties. In the regular season, he had an .802 OPS against lefties and .407 OPS against right-handers. Ibañez had been hitting under .200 since the All-Star break, but he came up big on Wednesday when his team needed it the most.

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