HOUSTON – The Houston Astros lost 6-3 to the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday in Game 1 of the AL wild-card series.
AL Wild Card Game 1
What we know:
White Sox never trailed at Daikin Park, scoring three of their six runs in the second inning.
Chicago shortstop Colson Montgomery hit a 432-foot solo home run in the fourth inning, and the White Sox added another run in the fifth to take a 5-0 lead.
The Astros responded with a two-run homer from outfielder Nelson Velázquez in the bottom of the fifth. The Astros cut the deficit to three runs again in the eighth inning after an error by Chicago allowed a run to score.
Despite the Astros’ six hits, they went 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position.
The White Sox finished with 11 hits, including a run in the seventh inning.
Jim Crane on Astros postseason
Jim Crane
Local perspective:
Astros owner Jim Crane spoke with FOX 26’s Coco Dominguez before the game and said Houston was ready for the postseason after missing the playoffs last year.
“It’s always exciting. It’s a different atmosphere in the playoffs,” Crane said. “Everybody’s 0-0 right now, so we’re starting over.”
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The Astros reached the postseason after overcoming a difficult start. Houston was 6 1/2 games out of the playoff picture in May before rallying to finish the regular season 81-81.
“We like our chances in this bracket,” Crane said before the game. “It gives us some teams with parity that we think we can beat.”
Mattress Mack bets $500,000 on Houston
Dig deeper:
After Tuesday’s loss, longtime Astros fan Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale remained confident the team could recover.
“We’re not afraid of our backs against the wall,” McIngvale said. “We’re going to come out and win on Wednesday night, we’re going to win on Thursday night, and we’re going to go on to the American League Division Series.”
McIngvale said he invested $500,000 in a trading market tied to the Astros’ postseason run. He said the investment could return about $13 million, which would be used to pay customers through a Mattress Mack promotion if Houston wins the World Series.
Game 2 schedule and elimination scenario
What’s next:
Houston must win Wednesday’s game to force a decisive Game 3 on Thursday. The winner of the best-of-three series will advance to face the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Division Series.
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Game 2 is scheduled for Wednesday in Houston.