MLB Wild Card Game 2 recap: Brewers force Game 3 as Tigers, Padres and Royals advance

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The MLB postseason continued on Wednesday as eight teams competed in Game 2 of the NL and AL Wild Card Series.

On this day, three teams advanced to the Division Series (DS), while one series will advance to Game 3 after a decisive comeback.

Here are the main storylines from Wednesday's action.

The New York Mets got a taste of their own medicine as the Milwaukee Brewers rallied from a deficit to force a winner-take-all victory in Game 3 of the NL Wild Card Series.

In the bottom of the eighth quarter, the Brewers trailed 3-2 and were six outs away from ending their season, but a game-winning home run from superstar rookie Jackson Chourio and a two-run home run from Garrett Mitchell turned the game on its head and gave Milwaukee a 5-3 win.

It is the first time in franchise history that Milwaukee has been down at the start of the eighth inning of a postseason game and has come back with a win after losing 26 times in that position.

Chourio's shot was his second of the game. After also tying the score at 1-1 in the first inning, the 20-year-old became only the second player in Major League history to hit two game-winning home runs in a single postseason game. The only other player to do this was none other than Babe Ruth in Game 4 of the 1928 World Series.

The Venezuelan also became the fifth-youngest hitter to ever go deep in the postseason, behind Miguel Cabrera (Florida Marlins, 2003), Manny Machado (Baltimore Orioles, 2012), Bryce Harper (Washington Nationals, 2012) and Andruw Jones ( Atlanta Braves). , 1996).

“I think I still feel the adrenaline,” Chourio said through translator Daniel de Mondesert, according to MLB.com. “It was a very special moment for me and I will look back on it and remember it for the rest of my life.”

Chourio tied the game in the bottom of the first on an RBI single by Brandon Nimmo, but New York regained its lead in the second on an RBI single by Francisco Álvarez and a sac fly by Francisco Lindor.

Blake Perkins' own sac fly in the fifth made it a one-run ballgame before Chourio and Mitchell performed heroics in the eighth. It was fitting that Chourio also recorded the final out, catching a fly ball from Jesse Winker.

Game 3 will be played Thursday night at American Family Field in Milwaukee.

The Houston Astros endured their own disastrous eighth inning, losing 5-2 to the Detroit Tigers. This marked the first time in eight years that they failed to reach the AL Championship Series.

Andy Ibáñez's three-RBI double was the defining moment as the Tigers won the series.

It's a huge blow for the 2022 World Series champions, who have now lost all of the last seven postseason games played at home.

“When we get to the playoffs, you think long-term, you think about winning,” Astros second baseman Jose Altuve said, according to MLB.com. “We couldn’t win a game against the Tigers. We are heartbroken at the moment. We just have to keep going.”

By winning the series, Detroit advances to the ALDS for the first time since 2014 and hopes its momentum can carry a young team to an unlikely fifth World Series title.

“I don’t know who,” manager AJ Hinch told his team, according to MLB.com, “but someone got the Tigers hot.”

It took until the sixth inning for both teams to get on the field when Parker Meadows sent a solo shot off the right field foul pole to give the Tigers the lead.

An inning later, Houston would load the bases with no one out. On a Jon Singleton ground ball, Spencer Torkelson's home throw was deflected by Jake Rogers, allowing Victor Caratini to score and tie the game.

Detroit appeared to be in deep trouble after a Jose Altuve sac fly gave the Astros the lead, but Sean Guenther took over on the mound and was able to force a double play to avoid a big inning.

Going into the round of 16 down 2-1, the Tigers tied the game when a wild pitch from Ryan Pressly allowed Kerry Carpenter to score. Ibáñez's clutch double managed to clear the bases and Houston had no answer.

“It’s tough,” Astros manager Joe Espada said, according to MLB.com. “But I want our boys to be proud of how far we’ve come. It was a very challenging season and we reached the postseason, which is our goal every year. We win the division and then play deep into the playoffs.”

Detroit travels to Cleveland to face the Guardians in the ALDS, which begins Saturday.

Padres and Royals complete the win

The San Diego Padres will face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS for the third time in five years after defeating the Atlanta Braves 5-4 to win the series.

In a great second inning, the Padres scored all five runs with two outs, thanks to a solo homer by Kyle Higashioka, a two-RBI double by Manny Machado and a two-RBI triple by Jackson Merrill.

According to STATS, it is the first time in MLB postseason history that a team has posted six consecutive hits while also posting a cycle under those six hits.

“Two outs, nobody on – that’s what we’re really good at,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said, according to MLB.com. “It's a big part of our identity with our club, the mantra: 'We will compete regardless of the circumstances.' There’s no one on it, we’ll figure it out and get it going.”

Meanwhile, Bobby Witt Jr. took home the winning streak for the second time in two games as the Kansas City Royals defeated the Baltimore Orioles 2-1.

In another close game, the shortstop's infield single in the top of the sixth proved enough to win a series in which only four runs were scored.

“That’s the fun part of this game,” Witt said, according to MLB.com. “That’s why we do it, these situations here. It really comes down to controlling what I can control, just being present in the moment, being where my feet are and enjoying the moment. You never know when this opportunity will present itself again, so take advantage of it while you have it.”

On Saturday, the Royals travel to the Bronx to take on the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the ALDS.