Blake Snell wasn’t seeking anything ‘flashy’ on the mound, just to secure the victory.

A home run into left field off the bat of Jose Altuve in the first inning seemed to spell trouble for Blake Snell. Especially after allowing three long balls previously in the AL Division Series opener against the Yankees, resulting in a 9-3 loss.

That was all the Astros got on board as Snell (2-1) limited them to one run to give the Rays a 2-1 victory in Game 1 of the AL Championship Series at Petco Park.

“I didn’t get the strikeouts, and all those flashy things that standout,” said Snell. “But I limited them to one run. And I kept the home run in the first inning. That was all they got, which was very big. Cause that’s a team that wants to get it going. They stay hot, so to be able to shut that down; that was important. Overall, it’s a big game.”

Snell reached his limit for the night after five innings and 105 pitches, along with 61 strikes. The 2018 Cy Young winner picked up his second win of the postseason, while lowering his postseason ERA to 2.87.

Following three scoreless innings from Houston southpaw Framber Valdez, a solo shot to center field by Randy Arozarena tied the game at 1-1 in the fourth. Mike Zunino followed with an RBI single past a diving Altuve in the fifth to give Tampa Bay the lead.

The bullpen was flawless in four innings of work to secure the Rays’ go-ahead victory in the crucial opener of the ALCS.

“Me being able to go five (innings), but battling the entire time,” said Snell. “These guys, there were a lot of professional at bats. They laid off a lot of good pitches. I’m happy with it because I know how tough it was. But with the guys that came in after me, that was just as impressive.”