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

A home run 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 ALDS opener against the Yankees, resulting in a hard loss.

But that was all the Astros could get on board after Snell (1-0) held them to one run after five innings in game 1 of the ALCS and earned his first victory of the post-season.

“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 105 pitches thrown, with 61 of them for strikes. The outing also saw the 2018 Cy Young winner lower his ERA to 1.80. The bullpen picked up from there and was flawless in the crucial opener of the ALCS, securing the Rays’ 2-1 victory over Houston.

“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.”