Cuban Andy Ibáñez did not imagine reaching the Major Leagues and today he is the hero in Detroit

HOUSTON.- The Detroit Tigers continue to surprise this season in Major League Baseball. After qualifying for the playoffs with the last wild card berth, they swept the Houston Astros by beating them 5-2 this Wednesday at Minute Maid Park.

In a match where the pitching seemed intractable for both teams, it was not until the eighth inning when the cats managed to capitalize.

Andy Ibáñez did not imagine reaching the Major Leagues when he was a child in his native Cuba, but baseball had – for now – a great moment in store for him.

He came out as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning and with the bases loaded against Josh Hader. There were two outs on the board and he battled every pitch.

The first two pitches, sinkers over 96 miles per hour, were fouled behind home plate. The third delivery fell in a bad area and then fouled again. But Hader never changed the recipe and the next delivery, another sinker, he sent down the left field line to score a double and sweep the bases.

“We played very well in the last two months and the result of that is why we are here. We did the things we had to do and we stuck together. We know that this series is short and we are going to go out and win,” he had said in an interview with DIARIO LAS AMERICAS at the start of the series in Houston.

“We stayed united in the clubhouse, listening to the coaches who have more experience in this,” added the man born in Havana in 1993, who did not imagine being in a situation like this.

“It never even crossed my mind to play in the big leagues, but being there is a source of pride for one and because one also represents the country,” said the man who, since Saturday, will now be looking to leave the Guardians of the League behind with his teammates. Cleveland.

“I never imagined a moment like this, much less playing in the playoffs. In the four years that I have been in the Major Leagues I have always had to watch the Astros on TV, but today it is a blessing. This morning I talked to my friend Adolis, who is like Houston’s dad, and he helped me a lot.”

What did occur to Ibáñez this afternoon was that he was going to have a shift and he prepared for it.

“I was ready from the second inning. I told Wenceel (Pérez) that we should go to the cage and that we were ready that at any moment they were going to bring in a left-hander and they were going to give us the opportunity”, the moment came and when his connection came out “he wanted the runs to go in. He said come in, come in, come in. When I got to third I saw “I have never given a double as exciting as this.”