SIZZLING SLUGGERS SINGE THE SERIES RECORD BOOK
Game 2 dramatics had never been seen in Fall Classic lore, writes Rob Longley.
Other than all those pitchers with the fastest fastballs, the slipperiest sliders and the cagiest curves, who cares if the baseballs are juiced?
If a little extra sizzle between the seams is going to provide the sensational theatre games 1 and 2 of the World Series have, cook ’em some more.
The Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers set a singlegame series record in Wednesday’s extra-innings thriller with eight leaving a park that was, at one time, seen as pitcher friendly.
That an unprecedented five of them came in extra innings only added to the never-before-seen zaniness of the Astros’ 7-6 win in Game 2.
And even if the pitchers are moaning about this, they wouldn’t have much company among the 54,293 who witnessed the thrill ride of Game 2.
“I think the balls are juiced, 100 per cent,” Dallas Keuchel said in the Astros clubhouse after his team evened the best-of-seven series at a win apiece. “Major League Baseball wants to put on a show. We crushed the home run record this year.
“That’s what (MLB) wants. They want that exciting two home run lead and then (the other team) comes back and hits another home run and everyone’s still watching.”
What’s that new line? Went to a World Series game and a home run derby broke out?
Yes, the two teams are certainly putting on a show in a series that continues in Houston for games 3-5 starting Friday at Minute Maid Park.
And yes, Keuchel’s comments read both like a play-by-play of Game 2 and a lament of pitchers across the league this year. The single-season league record was smashed well before the regular season was complete with a total of 6,105 when the swatting finally stopped.
Homers have also been prominent throughout the playoffs. Already, there’s been 11 hit in the World Series.
Justin Verlander, who started Game 2 for the Astros, feels the sizzling late October heat in Southern California played a role in the homer barrage. In both games 1 and 2, first-pitch temperatures were near 40 C and never dipped below 32 C before game’s end.
“Yeah, I think the heat affected the home runs,” said Verlander, who allowed just two hits through six innings, both of them homers. “I think Dodger Stadium is pretty famous for the ball not carrying. Doesn’t seem like that was the case the last couple of nights.”
Justin Turner’s two-run game-winning homer Tuesday didn’t clear the outfield wall by much. And when it left the bat of the Dodgers third baseman, he thought it was a harmless out.
“I knew I hit it really high and I knew it was about 98 degrees and when it’s hot here, the ball does travel a lot better. If it’s 10 degrees cooler, that’s probably a routine fly ball in left field,” said Turner.
For the record, MLB has denied the balls are “juiced,” despite pitchers griping about them.
But to the rest of the world, it seems, the phenomenon is getting rave reviews. Both teams enthused about Game 2 being the most exciting game they had played.
It started with the Astros’ Marwin Gonzalez hitting a solo homer in the ninth to force extra innings. And then it got truly silly.
To think, the Astros were three outs away from losing a game despite allowing just two hits all night, which would have been a first in World Series play.
Solo shots from Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa kept it going in the 10th only to be negated by a Yasiel Puig homer to start the Dodgers’ rally to tie it in the bottom half.
Then came George Springer’s two-run shot in the top of the 11th that just barely stood up as the game-winner that allowed the Astros to become the first team in MLB history to hit three extra-inning homers in a postseason game.
How crazy is that? In the 113 years they’ve been playing World Series games, there had been only 17 homers in extra innings before Wednesday’s explosion. Maybe it’s the weather, maybe it’s the ball or maybe it’s aggressive hitters determined to change the game with one swing of the bat.
I think the balls are juiced ... Major League Baseball wants to put on a show. We crushed the home run record this year.