Ex-Astros manager A.J. Hinch back in playoffs with Tigers to face former team in AL Wild Card Series
Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch, left, and bench coach George Lombard, right, watch from the dugout before a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Jose Juarez]
HOUSTON (AP) — A.J. Hinch led Houston to a championship in 2017, and the last time he managed a postseason game it was the Astros’ loss in Game 7 of the 2019 World Series. The following January he was suspended for a year by Major League Baseball and fired the same day for his role in Houston’s sign-stealing scandal. Hinch returns to the playoffs Tuesday with the Detroit Tigers in their first postseason appearance in a decade when they face the AL West champion Astros in Game 1 of a best-of-three Wild Card Series. Detroit ace Tarik Skubal opposes fellow left-hander Framber Valdez in the opener. Hinch, who has managed the Tigers since 2021, insists this series is not about his redemption.
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