– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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BALTIMORE — The mountainous task the Houston Astros faced after two innings came into full view in the top of the ninth, having to beat the fireballer nicknamed “The Mountain” if they wanted to come away with one of the most improbable wins of the 2023 season.
Kyle Tucker scaled the mountain.
Tucker lined a go-ahead grand slam into the right field bleachers off of closer Félix Bautista with one out in the ninth inning, lifting Houston to a 7-6 victory over the Baltimore Orioles in the first game of a three-set inside Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Fitting of a task akin to reaching the peak of Mt. Everest, Tucker found himself down 0-2 in the count, took a couple of balls, then fouled off four straight pitches before launching a 100-mile-per-hour fastball just over the 373′ sign in right field to cap off a stunning comeback in which Houston fell behind 5-0 after two innings.
“I was able to catch one out front and time it well, said Tucker, whose homer marked his 20th of the season. “That was a tough at-bat, but I found a way to come out of it on top.”
A late rally seemed a tall order as Bautista, who came in leading the American League with 30 saves, not only came in with a three-run lead but entered facing the No. 9 hitter for the Astros to start the inning. But rally the Astros did, as Jon Singleton, back with the team and making his first plate appearance in a Houston uniform since 2015, drew a walk to start the inning as he pinch hit for catcher Martin Maldonado. The vaunted top of the order would follow, and Jose Altuve singled to left to set up runners on first and second. After Alex Bregman fanned for the first out, Yordan Alvarez singled to deep center to advance the runners 90 feet and load the bases.
In stepped Tucker, and despite Bautista’s 0.85 ERA and 10 consecutive save conversions coming in, the right-fielder dug in and battled until his trademark, sweeping, pull-heavy swing barreled up the ninth pitch of the plate appearance, sending the Astros’ dugout into rapture and stunning the Orioles faithful.
“That was some battle — two big, big boys,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said. “That was a determination at-bat. That’s what hitting is all about; It’s about determination and want and desire and concentration, and Tuck had all of the above. He fouled off some real tough pitches, stayed off some tough pitches and got a pitch that he could hit and didn’t miss it. A lot of times you get your pitch, you foul it back or something. He squared it up, and boy, that was a beautiful sight.”
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Tuesday evening’s contest, with all photos taken by DC-area photographer Clifford Ray Williams. After clicking on the first photo to enlarge the picture, make sure to press the left and right arrow buttons to scroll through the rest of the pictures. There are 37 pictures in total.
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