The Astros didn’t get what they paid for.
Josh Hader, their $95 million closer, yielded the fatal bases-clearing double to pinch-hitter Andy Ibanez in a tie game in the eighth inning of Wednesday’s 5-2 Wild Card loss to the Tigers that clinched Detroit’s two-game sweep.
Hader surrendered one run on three hits and two walks over 1 1/3 innings, while also allowing both inherited runners to score to conclude the first season of his five-year pact.
The southpaw posted a 3.80 ERA in the regular season.
“The one pitch got me. I made a mistake, and he took advantage of it,” Hader said, according to the Houston Chronicle. “It’s easy to say I could have thrown a different pitch, but if I execute that pitch, he swings and misses, so you just tip your cap to him. He did his job, and I did not do my job. It’s always one or the other.”
Houston shocked the baseball community this offseason when it gave Hader a five-year, $95 million pact since most teams avoid giving closers those types of deals due to the fickle nature of the position.
The Astros surely figured that Hader would be a postseason weapon, especially in this era where teams to go their bullpens usually quite early (see Hader’s former team, the Brewers).
Hader entered a 2-2 game Wednesday with men on first and second on after Ryan Pressly allowed the tying run to score on a wild pitch earlier in the frame.
In an ominous sign, Hader walked Spencer Torkelson on four pitches to load the bases. The Tigers then pinch-hit Ibanez, a righty.
Hader got ahead 1-2 against Ibanez but then made a huge mistake, throwing a 98-mph sinker middle-middle. Ibanez promptly roped a 105-mph double to left field that stayed fair to put the Tigers ahead, 5-2.
“I think as soon as I made the contact, I was just pushing for the ball to be fair,” Ibanez said. “Most importantly, I was pushing for the runners on the base to go, go, go, go, go.”
Hader returned for the ninth and pitched a scoreless inning while working around two singles and a walk, but it didn’t matter. The damage had already been done.
It’s fair to say Hader’s inaugural season in Houston could be considered a disappointing investment since he posted the second-worst ERA of his career and didn’t deliver when his team needed him the most.
Hader tallied a 1.28 ERA for the Padres in 2023 before nearly tripling that figure this season, although he did register 34 saves.
“Obviously, start of the season, the end goal is World Series, right?” Hader said, per the Houston Chronicle. “Just proud of this team the way they went through this season, had a lot of downs and a lot of ups. It’s tough to lose. We’re competitors, and when you don’t win, that’s what hurts the most.
“At the end of the day, we can say that every single guy on this team did their best and put us in the best possible situation to win.”
