UNDATED (AP) – The Atlanta Braves opened Wednesday’s MLB schedule with the longest 1-0 game in postseason history before the Minnesota Twins were the first team to be eliminated.
Freddie Freeman delivered a walk-off single in the 13th inning to complete Atlanta’s victory over Cincinnati in the opener of the NL Wild Card Series. It was the first time a playoff game had been scoreless through 11 innings. Braves starter Max Fried scattered six hits over seven innings. Reds hurler Trevor Bauer was even better, striking out 12 and holding Atlanta to two hits over 7 2/3 innings. The two teams combined to strike out 37 times, 21 by the Braves. The Twins were ousted as they extended their major league-record postseason losing streak to 18 games.
Carlos Correa slammed a two-out, tiebreaking home run in the seventh inning of the Astros’ 3-1 victory at Minnesota. Kyle Tucker hit a pair of RBI singles for Houston and made a key throw from left field for the inning-ending out in the fifth. Rookie Cristian Javier worked three hitless innings in relief for the victory in his postseason debut . The Twins’ last playoff win was Game 1 of their 2004 Division Series at Yankee Stadium.
In other Wild Card Series action:
– Gio Urshela crushed a grand slam and scored the winning run on DJ LeMahieu’s single in the ninth inning as the Yankees closed out their series with the Indians, 10-9. Gary Sanchez hit a two-run homer and had three RBIs, while Giancarlo Stanton went deep for the second straight day. Cesar Hernandez provided an RBI single in the eighth to put Cleveland ahead to stay, but Sanchez tied it with a sacrifice fly in the ninth. The 4-hour, 50-minute game was the longest regular season or postseason nine-inning game in major league history.
– Hunter Renfroe belted a grand slam and the Rays won a postseason series for the first time in 12 years by completing a two-game sweep, 8-2 against Toronto. Renfroe’s homer was part of a six-run second inning that was capped by Mike Zunino’s two-run blast against Blue Jays ace Hyun Jin Ryu. The top-seeded Rays also got a strong pitching performance from Tyler Glasnow, who allowed two runs and six hits over six innings.
– The Marlins were winners in their first postseason game in 17 years as Corey Dickerson hit a go-ahead, three-run homer off a fading Kyle Hendricks in the seventh inning of a 5-1 victory over the Cubs in Game 1. Miami trailed 1-0 and was 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position until Dickerson’ slammed his first postseason home run. Jesus Aguilar added a two-run blast and Sandy Alcantara pitched three-hit ball into the seventh. Aguilar’s home run gave the Marlins their first five-run inning in a postseason since the Steve Bartman game at Wrigley Field 17 years ago.
– Paul Goldschmidt hit a two-run home run while the Cardinals scored four times in the first inning of a 7-4 victory at San Diego. Yadier Molina had three hits and scored twice, while rookie Tyler Carlson went 2-for-3 with two walks and two runs scored. The St. Louis bullpen held strong after starter Kwang Hyun Kim was reached for three runs over 3 2/3 innings. Right-hander Chris Paddack failed to give the Padres the boost they desperately needed after Mike Clevinger and Dinelson Lamet were left off the wild-card roster due to injuries suffered in their final regular-season starts. Paddack surrendered six runs in just 2 1/3 innings.
– Chris Bassitt took a shutout into the eighth inning and the Athletics forced a deciding Game 3 by downing the White Sox, 5-3. Bassitt was reached for one run and six hits over seven-plus innings, leaving with a runner on base before Yasmani Grandal homered for the second straight day. Second baseman Nick Madrigal’s throwing error brought in the game’s first two runs before Marcus Semien and Khris Davis homered. Liam Hendricks loaded the bases with two out in the ninth and Jake Diekman walked Grandal to make it 5-3 before retiring Jose Abreu on a sharp grounder to second.