Morton takes on starring role
Like in ALCS Game 7, unheralded pitcher delivers by closing with 4 strong innings
LOS ANGELES — When the Dodgers were in trouble in Game 7 of the World Series, they turned to Clayton Kershaw, who makes $35 million a year and is probably the best pitcher in all of baseball.
When the Astros needed a starter to come out of the bullpen, they turned to Charlie Morton, a guy who has never drawn many national headlines, especially when he signed a two-year, $14 million deal with the Astros 11 months ago as a guy they could plug into the back end of the starting rotation.
It was Morton who delivered his second straight stellar Game 7 performance, this time carrying the Astros to the finish line in a 5-1 win over the Dodgers to clinch the first World Series championship in franchise history.
Eleven days after picking up the win by throwing five scoreless innings in an American League Championships Series Game 7 win over the Yankees, Morton did it again in the team’s next Game 7.
This time, he did it out of the bullpen, retiring the final 11 Dodgers he faced in order, earning the spot as center of attention when the Astros got to run onto the field to celebrate their first title. Family comes first
About 15 minutes after he recorded the final out of the World Series, he was holding his 3-yearold daughter Gracie in the dugout while his 4-year-old son Cam was wrapped around his leg. Morton’s wife Cindy held their 11-month son Benjamin nearby.
You’d never guess Morton has just played a key role in the Astros’ first championship, he looked more like a father trying to corral his kids for bedtime.
“Baseball means a lot to me, but my family and my friends are everything. Look at him, he doesn’t even know what happened,” said Morton, pointing to Cam, who was circling laps around his dad’s right leg. “One day, he’ll understand, but this is the most important thing in my life, and it’s great to be able to share this moment with them.”
Perhaps it was that cool demeanor that has made Morton so good in Game 7s.
On Wednesday night, after the Astros had to use four pitchers to get through five innings with a 5-0 lead over the Dodgers, Morton came in and settled things down.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts intentionally walked the Astros’ Nos. 7 and 8 hitters to load the bases and bring up Chris Devenski’s spot in the order with two outs in the sixth inning. Even though Devenski had only faced one batter and could easily pitch another inning or even two, Astros skipper A.J. Hinch couldn’t resist pinch-hitting for his reliever in a bases-loaded situation.
Cameron Maybin hit for Devenski but popped out to end the frame.
That meant the ball went to Morton.
Things didn’t start smoothly for Morton. He gave up a leadoff single to Joc Pederson and walked Logan Forsythe. After finally recording an out, Morton gave up an RBI single to Andre Ethier that cut the Astros’ lead to 5-1. But that would be the last bit of damage the Dodgers dealt to Morton.
Morton struck out Chris Taylor and got Corey Seager to meekly ground out to end the threat.
Then Morton went into cruise control.
“I came into the game and I was trying to throw the ball as hard as I could,” Morton said. “I knew we had more arms left in the bullpen, so I was just giving it everything I had straight out of the bullpen, and I think that was my issue. Maybe I needed to actually make some pitches instead of just throwing hard. So, I settled down after that first inning. Just got back into pitching like I know how.” Easy as 1-2-3 in last 3 innings
He retired the side in order in the seventh inning. And even with the Astros’ most valuable arms — Justin Verlander and Dallas Keuchel — getting loose in the bullpen beginning in the eighth inning, Morton kept his usual calm demeanor and kept throwing strikes.
He retired the Dodgers in order again in the eighth and ninth innings, which meant the only time Keuchel or Verlander stepped onto the Dodger Stadium playing surface was to sprint in from the bullpen and mob Morton at the mound.
“I can’t even describe that feeling,” said Morton, who had only pitched in the postseason one other time, a 2013 division series loss with the Pirates. “That’s what we as baseball players have dreamed of all our lives. And it just happened for me … for us.”