For the Tigers' Beau Brieske, escaping Game 1 was the sweetest feeling of déjà vu

Houston — Back on Sept. 21 in Baltimore, you may remember: That was the night Beau Brieske escaped a bases-loaded no-out jam and essentially saved the Tigers' season. Afterward, Brieske shook his head in the clubhouse because he narrowly missed 100 miles per hour.

It was measured at 99.6 miles per hour and did not round up.

“I know I’ll do it,” he said, meaning I’ll hit 100 miles per hour.

He arrived there twice on Tuesday, in an even more tense situation.

“I knew it was coming,” he smiled.

As in Baltimore, Brieske inherited a completely disorganized situation at the most critical moment in the most important game of his life. The Houston Astros had already scored a run, cutting the Tigers' lead to 3-1 in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series. The sold-out crowd at Minute Maid Park went wild.

As Brieske ran to the mound, with runners on second and third and one out, he couldn't help but feel a sense of deja vu.

“It felt like the same situation to me,” he said. “Just go in there and try to attack and execute, attack and execute. Honestly, I thought about (Baltimore) when I was warming up. 'Okay, we' “I've done it before,” I said to myself.”

He threw punches straight from the jump. He was left-handed and hit Victor Caratini to move to left, and Alex Bregman didn't try to tag him and score. The same thing happened in Baltimore when Jackson Holliday was left at third after shortstop Trey Sweeney made a diving catch and collided with Riley Greene.

Right-hander Chas McCormick bats next.

Brieske eventually went to him after an eight-pitch fight. It certainly wasn't intentional, but discretion might have been the better part of valor. With first base open, Brieske was determined to live for another batter.

“I thought if I ran my good heater up and toward him, I would get him,” he said. “I kept trying to get her there and I dragged her down. They were good heaters, but not “I'm getting to the place I wanted.”

Two of the heaters were traveling at 100 miles per hour and McCormick was able to turn them off.

“I used the other things to get him off the field that I wanted to lock him up with,” Brieske said. “The kill shot in this situation was supposed to be heat stroke and I didn’t want to get hit by anything else.”

He ended up guiding him through the dirt with a sinker.

“So, come over and see if he’s chasing,” he said. “Having the base open definitely helped.”

No harm, no foul.

That brought veteran left-hander Jason Heyward onto the scene. Brieske fell behind 1-2 and then went after him with substitutions. He got a chase to even the count, and then Heyward gently led to the 2-2 pitch right in front of first baseman Spencer Torkelson.

The Tigers, the last seed in the Dance, stole Game 1 3-1 against the AL West champions.

“The adrenaline was probably higher than it’s ever been in my career, that’s for sure,” Brieske said. “But there were some big games we had played up to that point. We practically played for our lives to give ourselves the chance to be here.

“There were some similar atmospheres. But that situation, that game, our first playoff game as a unit — it meant a lot.”

Chris McCosky talks to Jake Rogers about Tarik Skubal's performance in Game 1.

Brieske, the right-handed version of Tyler Holton, is the epitome of versatility in the Tigers bullpen. He has started 12 games as an opener. He played 12 games. And he was a pitcher in every inning in between.

“He’s been great for us all year,” catcher Jake Rogers said. “He has been put in different roles, be it the starting role or the opening role. And then two or three in the middle and here he is in the ninth, facing some great hitters to get out in the ninth pitch.

“So, yeah, it's a showcase of him just being prepared for any type of situation and attacking a zone when he needs to.”

Over the past two years, there has been much debate within the organization about how best to use Brieske. There was a time when he was considered a starter. But this season, when the Tigers had to get creative with how they got their 27 outs, Brieske's value shone.

The electric stuff, the elite speed, the unflappable bulldog demeanor – when he throws shots, there's no situation where he can't be used.

“I think I've always believed, and the team has also recognized, that if I do my best, attack and execute, I have skills that can be used in any innings,” he said I always believed in it. I don't know how this will all turn out and I don't want to get ahead of myself.

“But I definitely feel like if I go out there and be the best version of myself, my skills will hold up in any situation.”

There wasn't much to celebrate in the Tigers' clubhouse after Tuesday's win. The atmosphere was great, but you still had the feeling of being in the middle of the fight.

“Winning the first game is the biggest thing,” said Brieske. “Obviously since they went into the three-game series, winning the first game means a lot. But that doesn't mean it's over at all.” Especially with the guys over there who have proven themselves to be winners for so long.

“You always have to respect what they want to do to us tomorrow. This isn't over yet.

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Wojo and Chris McCosky talk to Tarik Skubal about the Game 1 win in Houston.

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