Fitting Game 7 end awaits epic Fall Classic
The Houston Astros came to Southern California with the intention of making it a short visit. Short and sweet. The Los Angeles Dodgers, meanwhile, decided it would be best if the American League champions stick around for a while and take this World Series to a true Hollywood ending.
With a gritty 3-1 win on Tuesday night, a comeback under the most tense of circumstances, the Dodgers did just that, extending what has been a sensational showdown through six games to where it should be — the limit.
Despite facing one of the best pitchers in the game in Houston starter Justin Verlander, the Dodgers stayed close early, got to the 34-year-old superstar in the sixth, then dug in to keep baseball’s highest-scoring offence quiet.
So yes, one of the finer of the 113 renditions of the Fall Classic will extend to a fine and fitting end with Game 7 scheduled at Chavez Ravine on Wednesday night.
And other than Astros fans looking for their franchise-first title, who could possibly want it any other way?
For much of what was a restless early portion of the evening for Dodgers fans, Verlander and the Astros seemed to be going all in. He was striking out Los Angeles hitters at will and humming 96-m.p.h. fastballs right to his spots.
And then came the bottom of the sixth, when the Dodgers brought some life back into what had become an increasingly restless stadium.
After Austin Barnes led off with a single, Verlander plunked Chase Utley on the leg with a pitch and two were on with none out. The Dodgers sensed the opening and set about to widen it.
A double from Chris Taylor brought Barnes home and then a loud Corey Seager fly ball out to right field drove in another for the Dodgers, the sacrifice fly giving them their first lead of the game.
Verlander was actually extremely fortunate that the Seager swat wasn’t a three-run homer. With temperatures at 18 C as opposed to 40 C for games 1 and 2, the ball wasn’t flying as far.
Still, the important damage was inflicted. With Verlander due up to bat and his pitch count at 93, the Dodgers not only had the lead, but they had chased arguably their biggest threat in Game 6 to the showers.
And now it became a battle of the bullpens with the edge suddenly swung toward the Dodgers, whose relievers had a 5.32 earned-run average in the series compared to the Astros’ dodgy 7.58.
The Astros let slip an opportunity to get it back in the top of the seventh, however, when Josh Reddick and Evan Gattis both reached to lead off. Reliever Kenta Maeda got out of the jam, though he needed first baseman Cody Bellinger to dig a throw from third baseman Justin Turner out of the dirt to end the inning.
With that, the Dodgers were just six outs away from forcing the ultimate sports scene. Joc Pederson, a controversial addition to the World Series roster. added a solo homer in the seventh and the stadium erupted to salute the tworun lead.
And what a World Series it’s been for Pederson, whose five hits included three home runs and two doubles. When he rounded third, he celebrated like a school kid, well aware of what the implications of the big blast were for a team that led the majors with 104 regularseason wins.
The Astros certainly gave all the appearances of coming here intent on holding nothing back, wanting to avoid just what they now will face on Wednesday.
They had the momentum and with Verlander, the prized tradedeadline acquisition on the mound, it was a tantalizing opportunity to wrap things up.
If there were nerves, it seemed early on that it was more on the Dodgers’ side and certainly among the 54,128 in the classic old ballpark. When George Springer launched a solo homer in the third — his fifth of the playoffs and clutch-level fourth in the World Series — it was the perfect start for the Astros.
The longer the visitors went without increasing their lead and the higher Verlander’s pitch count climbed, however, the more we had ourselves a ball game.
The Dodgers’ bullpen — which had shown some cracks back in Houston — still had to shut it down, however. In came ace closer Kenley Jansen for a seven-pitch, one-two-three eighth inning followed by a repeat performance in the ninth to earn the save.
And now we have the most delicious conclusion to a professional season, one that began what seems like an eternity ago in early April. For the 38th time in World Series history, it’s on to Game 7. Two of the sweetest words in sports and first pitch can’t come soon enough.