Twins drop Game 1 to Astros for 17th straight playoff loss

The Minnesota Twins' postseason skid extended to 17 consecutive losses - dating back to 2004 - with their Game 1 defeat to the Houston Astros on Tuesday.

Houston didn't take the lead until the ninth inning of the wild-card matchup to mount a 4-1 comeback win.

The Twins' struggles date back to 2004 when they won the opening game of the ALDS against the New York Yankees before dropping the next three straight. The subsequent playoff performances went as follows:

The Twins took the lead Tuesday in the third inning on a Nelson Cruz double that cashed in Max Kepler. They held that slim advantage until the seventh inning when the Astros tied it up on a George Springer single that scored Josh Reddick.

Houston wound up scoring three in the ninth on a Jose Altuve bases-loaded walk and Michael Brantley single after Springer reached on a two-out fielding error by Jorge Polanco to prolong the inning.

The Twins' 17-game skid is now the longest playoff losing streak in any of the four major North American professional team sports (MLB, NFL, NBA, and NHL), according to James Smyth of YES Network.