KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Houston Astros
manager A.J. Hinch has a "soft rule" when it comes to a rain delay
during a game: If it lasts about an hour, he'll usually remove his
starting pitcher.
Good thing it's not a hard rule.
Hinch opted to keep Collin McHugh on the mound after a 49-minute stoppage Thursday night, and McHugh responded with a resounding performance. He shut down the Kansas City Royals over six innings for a 5-2 victory in the opener of their American League Division Series.
"We checked in with him a couple times, but he was never really coming out of that game," Hinch said of McHugh, a surprise 19-game winner this season. "That wasn't even his best tonight, and he got through a pretty good lineup and battled."
Three relievers took over and got the game to Luke Gregerson, who was part of Oakland's wild-card collapse in Kansas City last year. He handled the ninth for a save.
George Springer and Colby Rasmus went deep for the homer-happy Astros, but they also scored via the same sort of small ball the Royals used in reaching the World Series last season.
"Winning the first game was key," Astros outfielder Carlos Gomez said. "We did that."
Yordano Ventura (0-1) yielded three runs on four hits and a walk in two innings for Kansas City but did not come back following the delay. Chris Young served up Springer's home run with one out in the fifth but tossed four otherwise solid innings of relief.
Game 2 is Friday, when lefty Scott Kazmir takes the mound for Houston against right-hander Johnny Cueto in a matchup of pitchers traded days apart this past summer.
"It's a five-game series," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "It's not a death sentence to lose Game 1."
The Astros, who struggled so mightily on the road this season, have apparently solved their woes just in time. They beat the Yankees 3-0 in New York in Tuesday night's wild-card game, then took care of a Royals club built specifically for spacious Kauffman Stadium.
With Houston's win Thursday, it was the first time since 1970 that visiting teams won baseball's first four postseason games, STATS said. The other two times it happened were 1906 and 1923.
"Everyone knows we haven't been playing the best on the road," reliever Tony Sipp said. "To take one in New York and come here, it shows we're a different kind of team."
The Astros wasted no time getting Ventura in trouble, loading the bases with nobody out in the first inning. Ventura settled down to retire the next three batters, but Rasmus and Evan Gattis provided RBI groundouts to give Houston a 2-0 lead.
Jose Altuve tacked on another run in the second with a single to right.
The Royals answered in the bottom half when Kendrys Morales ripped McHugh's 89 mph fastball down the right-field line for a solo home run. But a steady rain soon became a downpour as the inning progressed, and lightning sent fans scurrying for the concourse as the tarp was pulled onto the field.
When the game resumed, the Royals sent Young to the mound rather than Ventura.
"It was pushing 60 minutes there," said Yost, who hopes to bring back Ventura in Game 4.
Hinch stuck with McHugh, even though McHugh hadn't thrown a pitch for nearly an hour.
Morales got the better of McHugh again in the fourth, driving a 1-1 pitch over the wall in right to become the first Royals player with two homers in a postseason game since George Brett against Toronto in the 1985 AL Championship Series.
Unfortunately for the Royals, Morales was the only hitter who could solve McHugh. That left Kansas City, the darling of last year's postseason, facing a crucial Game 2 on Friday.
"We're happy. It's obviously good," Springer said, "but it's on to tomorrow. I mean, it's over with, and now we understand that they're going to be prepared to play."
RASMUS RAKING
Rasmus also homered in the wild-card game at Yankee Stadium. He has six homers and 11 RBIs in his past nine games and tied a major league record by getting an extra-base hit in his first five postseason games.
MAN DOWN
Even the Royals' grounds crew had a rough night. One of the workers responsible for rolling out the tarp during the delay tripped and fell. The tarp kept rolling right over his legs, and he screamed in pain. There was no word on the extent of his injury.
UP NEXT
Two pitchers procured with October in mind square off in Game 2. The Astros send out Kazmir, obtained in a July trade with Oakland, to face a team he has dominated in the past. The Royals counter with Cueto, acquired from Cincinnati a few days later. Cueto has struggled in his previous postseason appearances, going 0-2 in three starts with a 5.19 ERA.
Good thing it's not a hard rule.
Hinch opted to keep Collin McHugh on the mound after a 49-minute stoppage Thursday night, and McHugh responded with a resounding performance. He shut down the Kansas City Royals over six innings for a 5-2 victory in the opener of their American League Division Series.
"We checked in with him a couple times, but he was never really coming out of that game," Hinch said of McHugh, a surprise 19-game winner this season. "That wasn't even his best tonight, and he got through a pretty good lineup and battled."
Three relievers took over and got the game to Luke Gregerson, who was part of Oakland's wild-card collapse in Kansas City last year. He handled the ninth for a save.
George Springer and Colby Rasmus went deep for the homer-happy Astros, but they also scored via the same sort of small ball the Royals used in reaching the World Series last season.
"Winning the first game was key," Astros outfielder Carlos Gomez said. "We did that."
Yordano Ventura (0-1) yielded three runs on four hits and a walk in two innings for Kansas City but did not come back following the delay. Chris Young served up Springer's home run with one out in the fifth but tossed four otherwise solid innings of relief.
Game 2 is Friday, when lefty Scott Kazmir takes the mound for Houston against right-hander Johnny Cueto in a matchup of pitchers traded days apart this past summer.
"It's a five-game series," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "It's not a death sentence to lose Game 1."
The Astros, who struggled so mightily on the road this season, have apparently solved their woes just in time. They beat the Yankees 3-0 in New York in Tuesday night's wild-card game, then took care of a Royals club built specifically for spacious Kauffman Stadium.
With Houston's win Thursday, it was the first time since 1970 that visiting teams won baseball's first four postseason games, STATS said. The other two times it happened were 1906 and 1923.
"Everyone knows we haven't been playing the best on the road," reliever Tony Sipp said. "To take one in New York and come here, it shows we're a different kind of team."
The Astros wasted no time getting Ventura in trouble, loading the bases with nobody out in the first inning. Ventura settled down to retire the next three batters, but Rasmus and Evan Gattis provided RBI groundouts to give Houston a 2-0 lead.
Jose Altuve tacked on another run in the second with a single to right.
The Royals answered in the bottom half when Kendrys Morales ripped McHugh's 89 mph fastball down the right-field line for a solo home run. But a steady rain soon became a downpour as the inning progressed, and lightning sent fans scurrying for the concourse as the tarp was pulled onto the field.
When the game resumed, the Royals sent Young to the mound rather than Ventura.
"It was pushing 60 minutes there," said Yost, who hopes to bring back Ventura in Game 4.
Hinch stuck with McHugh, even though McHugh hadn't thrown a pitch for nearly an hour.
Morales got the better of McHugh again in the fourth, driving a 1-1 pitch over the wall in right to become the first Royals player with two homers in a postseason game since George Brett against Toronto in the 1985 AL Championship Series.
Unfortunately for the Royals, Morales was the only hitter who could solve McHugh. That left Kansas City, the darling of last year's postseason, facing a crucial Game 2 on Friday.
"We're happy. It's obviously good," Springer said, "but it's on to tomorrow. I mean, it's over with, and now we understand that they're going to be prepared to play."
RASMUS RAKING
Rasmus also homered in the wild-card game at Yankee Stadium. He has six homers and 11 RBIs in his past nine games and tied a major league record by getting an extra-base hit in his first five postseason games.
MAN DOWN
Even the Royals' grounds crew had a rough night. One of the workers responsible for rolling out the tarp during the delay tripped and fell. The tarp kept rolling right over his legs, and he screamed in pain. There was no word on the extent of his injury.
UP NEXT
Two pitchers procured with October in mind square off in Game 2. The Astros send out Kazmir, obtained in a July trade with Oakland, to face a team he has dominated in the past. The Royals counter with Cueto, acquired from Cincinnati a few days later. Cueto has struggled in his previous postseason appearances, going 0-2 in three starts with a 5.19 ERA.
7:37PM,EDT,October 8,2015
Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
| View: Play-By-Play | Pitch-By-Pitch | Inning: All | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Houston - Top of 1st | SCORE | |
|---|---|---|
| Yordano Ventura pitching for Kansas City | HOU | KC |
| Altuve singled to left. | 0 | 0 |
| Springer walked, Altuve to second. | 0 | 0 |
| Correa singled to shallow right, Altuve to third, Springer to second. | 0 | 0 |
| Rasmus grounded out to second, Altuve scored, Springer to third, Correa to second. | 1 | 0 |
| Gattis grounded out to shortstop, Springer scored. | 2 | 0 |
| Valbuena struck out swinging. | 2 | 0 |
| 2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Kansas City - Bottom of 1st | SCORE | |
| Collin McHugh pitching for Houston | HOU | KC |
| Escobar grounded out to third. | 2 | 0 |
| Zobrist singled to right. | 2 | 0 |
| Zobrist stole second. | 2 | 0 |
| Cain grounded out to third. | 2 | 0 |
| Hosmer lined out to first. | 2 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Houston - Top of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Yordano Ventura pitching for Kansas City | HOU | KC |
| Carter flied out to right. | 2 | 0 |
| Castro struck out swinging. | 2 | 0 |
| Marisnick doubled to left center. | 2 | 0 |
| Altuve singled to right, Marisnick scored, Altuve to second advancing on throw. | 3 | 0 |
| Springer grounded out to shortstop. | 3 | 0 |
| 1 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Kansas City - Bottom of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Collin McHugh pitching for Houston | HOU | KC |
| K. Morales homered to right (372 feet). | 3 | 1 |
| Moustakas grounded out to first. | 3 | 1 |
| Pérez grounded out to first. | 3 | 1 |
| Gordon grounded out to second. | 3 | 1 |
| 1 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Houston - Top of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Chris Young pitching for Kansas City | HOU | KC |
| Young relieved Ventura. | 3 | 1 |
| Correa struck out looking. | 3 | 1 |
| Rasmus walked. | 3 | 1 |
| Gattis struck out swinging. | 3 | 1 |
| Rasmus stole second. | 3 | 1 |
| Valbuena struck out swinging. | 3 | 1 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Kansas City - Bottom of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Collin McHugh pitching for Houston | HOU | KC |
| Rios struck out swinging. | 3 | 1 |
| Escobar grounded out to shortstop. | 3 | 1 |
| Zobrist grounded out to shortstop. | 3 | 1 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Houston - Top of 4th | SCORE | |
| Chris Young pitching for Kansas City | HOU | KC |
| Carter struck out swinging. | 3 | 1 |
| Castro struck out swinging. | 3 | 1 |
| Marisnick struck out swinging. | 3 | 1 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Kansas City - Bottom of 4th | SCORE | |
| Collin McHugh pitching for Houston | HOU | KC |
| Cain lined out to second. | 3 | 1 |
| Hosmer flied out to right. | 3 | 1 |
| K. Morales homered to right (414 feet). | 3 | 2 |
| Moustakas flied out to center. | 3 | 2 |
| 1 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Houston - Top of 5th | SCORE | |
| Chris Young pitching for Kansas City | HOU | KC |
| Altuve singled to right center. | 3 | 2 |
| Altuve caught stealing second, catcher to second. | 3 | 2 |
| Springer homered to left center (395 feet). | 4 | 2 |
| Correa grounded out to pitcher. | 4 | 2 |
| Rasmus struck out swinging. | 4 | 2 |
| 1 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Kansas City - Bottom of 5th | SCORE | |
| Collin McHugh pitching for Houston | HOU | KC |
| Pérez flied out to center. | 4 | 2 |
| Gordon singled to right. | 4 | 2 |
| Rios walked, Gordon to second. | 4 | 2 |
| Escobar lined out to center. | 4 | 2 |
| Zobrist grounded out to shortstop. | 4 | 2 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Houston - Top of 6th | SCORE | |
| Chris Young pitching for Kansas City | HOU | KC |
| Gattis lined out to left. | 4 | 2 |
| Valbuena walked. | 4 | 2 |
| Carter singled to left, Valbuena to second. | 4 | 2 |
| Castro grounded into double play, second to shortstop to first, Carter out at second. | 4 | 2 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Kansas City - Bottom of 6th | SCORE | |
| Collin McHugh pitching for Houston | HOU | KC |
| Cain flied out to right. | 4 | 2 |
| Hosmer grounded out to second. | 4 | 2 |
| K. Morales lined out to right. | 4 | 2 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Houston - Top of 7th | SCORE | |
| Kelvin Herrera pitching for Kansas City | HOU | KC |
| Herrera relieved Young. | 4 | 2 |
| Marisnick singled to right. | 4 | 2 |
| Altuve grounded out to shortstop, Marisnick to second. | 4 | 2 |
| Springer struck out swinging. | 4 | 2 |
| Correa struck out swinging. | 4 | 2 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Kansas City - Bottom of 7th | SCORE | |
| Tony Sipp pitching for Houston | HOU | KC |
| Sipp relieved McHugh. | 4 | 2 |
| Moustakas grounded out to first. | 4 | 2 |
| Pérez grounded out to third. | 4 | 2 |
| Gordon grounded out to second. | 4 | 2 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Houston - Top of 8th | SCORE | |
| Ryan Madson pitching for Kansas City | HOU | KC |
| Madson relieved Herrera. | 4 | 2 |
| Rasmus homered to right center (439 feet). | 5 | 2 |
| Gattis singled to left. | 5 | 2 |
| Gómez ran for Gattis. | 5 | 2 |
| Valbuena struck out swinging. | 5 | 2 |
| Carter struck out looking. | 5 | 2 |
| Castro struck out looking. | 5 | 2 |
| 1 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Kansas City - Bottom of 8th | SCORE | |
| Will Harris pitching for Houston | HOU | KC |
| González at first base. | 5 | 2 |
| Harris relieved Sipp. | 5 | 2 |
| Rios grounded out to shortstop. | 5 | 2 |
| Escobar struck out swinging. | 5 | 2 |
| Zobrist singled to center. | 5 | 2 |
| Cain singled to left, Zobrist to second. | 5 | 2 |
| Pérez relieved Harris. | 5 | 2 |
| Hosmer fouled out to third. | 5 | 2 |
| 0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Houston - Top of 9th | SCORE | |
| Luke Hochevar pitching for Kansas City | HOU | KC |
| Hochevar relieved Madson. | 5 | 2 |
| Marisnick grounded out to first. | 5 | 2 |
| Altuve grounded out to third. | 5 | 2 |
| Springer singled to center. | 5 | 2 |
| Correa grounded out to first. | 5 | 2 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Kansas City - Bottom of 9th | SCORE | |
| Luke Gregerson pitching for Houston | HOU | KC |
| Gregerson relieved Pérez. | 5 | 2 |
| K. Morales struck out swinging. | 5 | 2 |
| Moustakas hit by pitch. | 5 | 2 |
| Pérez struck out swinging. | 5 | 2 |
| Gordon fouled out to left. | 5 | 2 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Houston Astros | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hitters | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | #P | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| Altuve 2B | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13 | .600 | .600 | .600 |
| Springer RF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 23 | .500 | .600 | 1.250 |
| Correa SS | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 24 | .200 | .200 | .200 |
| Rasmus LF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 12 | .333 | .500 | 1.333 |
| Gattis DH | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 12 | .250 | .250 | .250 |
Gómez PR-DH
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Valbuena 3B | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 22 | .000 | .250 | .000 |
| Carter 1B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 17 | .250 | .250 | .250 |
González 1B
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Castro C | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 17 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Marisnick CF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | .500 | .500 | .750 |
| Totals | 36 | 5 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 14 | 151 | |||
| BATTING 2B: Marisnick (1, Ventura) HR: Springer (1, 5th inning off Young 0 on, 1 Out); Rasmus (1, 8th inning off Madson 0 on, 0 Out) RBI: Rasmus 2 (2), Gattis (1), Altuve (1), Springer (1) 2-out RBI: Altuve GIDP: Castro Astros RISP: 2-10 (Castro 0-1, Altuve 1-1, Springer 0-2, Correa 1-2, Rasmus 0-1, Gattis 0-1, Valbuena 0-2) Team LOB: 7 | ||||||||||
| BASERUNNING SB: Rasmus (1, 2nd base off Young/Pérez) CS: Altuve (1, 2nd base by Young/Pérez) | ||||||||||
Game Notes
| The game was delayed by rain for 49 minutes at the end of the second inning. |
Game Information
| Stadium | Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO |
| Attendance | 40,146 (105.9% full) - % is based on regular season capacity |
| Game Time | 3:14 (:49 delay) |
| Weather | 82 degrees, partly cloudy |
| Wind | 5 mph |
| Umpires | Home Plate - Lance Barksdale, First Base - Angel Hernandez, Second Base - Mike Everitt, Third Base - Ron Kulpa, left- Gerry Davis, right- Todd Tichenor |
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