ON TO GAME SEVEN
5th-inning outburst has club on cusp of historic comeback
Astros Carlos Correa (1) and George Springer (4) celebrate Houston’s win over Tampa Bay on Friday in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series at Petco Park in San Diego. The Astros could become the second team in major league history, after the 2004 Boston Red Sox, to overcome an 0-3 deficit in a best-of-seven series if they win today.
SANDIEGO— Three games ago, an entire sport declared a series done and the Astros dead.
Their second baseman melted down. Their offense disappeared in clutch scenarios. The Rays snared every well-hit ball. Big moments belonged only to Tampa Bay, a club with an anemic offense but brilliance everywhere else.
The Rays won three tense games to take an advantage that almost seemed insurmountable. The Astros harbored hope forwhat could be but pragmatism for what lay ahead. They embarked on a harrowing journey only one team has ever completed. Twenty-seven outs separate them from being the second.
“The team is very motivat
ed,” shortstop Carlos Correa said. “Everybody is on the same page. We want to stay. We want to win. When we were down three games, the atmosphere in the clubhouse was the same as if we were up 3-0.”
Houston trounced the Rays 7-4 on Friday to force a Game 7 in the American League Championship Series on Saturday night.
A win would secure a spot in rarefied baseball air. The 2004 Boston Red Sox are the only team to overcome a 3-0 deficit and win a seven-game series. Of 39 teams to face a three-game deficit, Boston was the only one to force a seventh game — until Friday.
“If any team can do it, it’s us,” said left fielder Kyle Tucker, who hit a solo home run in the sixth inning.
Frustrated for three games by a blend of bad luck, bad defense and a lack of clutch hitting, the Astros again resemble their best selves.
They had11 hits Friday and handled the Rays in every way, leading by as many as six runs in the seventh inning. They broke Tampa’s brilliant bullpen a week after doing the same to Oakland in the American League Division Series.
Against the A’s, the offense unloaded a power barrage.
Houston hit 12 home runs during the Division Series. Friday featured another approach entirely, with Houston’s batted balls bouncing through holes instead of into gloves. Weak contact was rewarded Friday, as only two of the Astros’ 11 hits garnered extra bases.
Astros hitters often talk of a pass-the-baton approach to offense. They deployed it Friday.
A sacrifice bunt began their game-deciding frame. Houston had not scored more than four runs in any of the first five games. They hung four in the fifth inning, abandoning big swings for simple execution.
Houston had five fabulous plate appearances against Diego Castillo, one of Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash’s most trusted leverage relievers.
“That’s what we do as a lineup,” Correa said. “It seems like we’ve been doing that throughout the whole series, and we hadn’t gotten the big hit. In the fifth inning, theywere coming in bunches. It’s always great to see everybody having a big part of that inning. A real solid inning.”
Castillo awoke Friday with 18 strikeouts in 13 career postseason innings. No opponent had scored against him.
Cash turned to him far earlier than most expected, but the Rays are known for their aggressive bullpen management and absence of traditional roles.
Closers can come in before the ninth. Leverage relievers can arrive at any point — when the game seems most in peril. Rays relievers had inherited 21 runners during their current playoff run. None had scored.
Starter Blake Snell surrendered two baserunners to start the fifth. He worked four scoreless yet stressful frames preceding it.
After Yuli Gurriel worked a walk and Aledmys Diaz dunked a single, Snell’s pitch count was at 82. The top of the lineup loomed for a third look. Cash emerged from his dugout and called for Castillo. Cameras captured Snell incredulous at the decision.
“I felt good, felt locked in,” Snell said. “Just frustrating. Wanted to go deep in the ballgame. Was confident withwhat I had going.”
The Rays led by one run after Willy Adames’ RBI double in the second. Cash sought to keep the advantage. Nine-hole hitter Martin Maldonado met with hitting coach Alex Cintron while Castillo took his warmup pitches, studying his prior at-bats against the hard-throwing sinkerballer.
Maldonado’s mission was clear. He squared to bunt on Castillo’s first pitch but watched a slider fly high. The catcher connected on the second, dotting it in front of home plate. CatcherMike Zunino threwMaldonado out, but twomenmoved into scoring position. Houston’s dugout greeted the development with applause.
George Springer stepped in. Tampa brought its infield in, trying to avoid a run. The Rays shaded Springer ever so slightly to pull, leaving a hole on the right side of the infield.
Castillo placed a 1-0 sinker on the outer half, and Springer stuck his bat head out to make contact. The baseball snuck through the vacated area.
Both runners scored, giving the Astros a lead they did not relinquish.
Jose Altuve crushed Castillo’s nextpitch into the left field corner for a double, scoring Springer. Correa bounced a single through the six-hole to score Altuve, finally finding some space in Tampa’s suffocating defense to provide starter Framber Valdez some cushion.
Valdez tamed Tampa Bay across six spectacular innings, striking out nine batters and yielding one run. All but one of his strikeouts concluded on his curveball. Valdez threw it 52 times. The Rays swung and missed against 15 of them — more than in any other start in Valdez’s
three-year major league career.
Trouble twice arrived for Valdez. He yielded a ringing double to Adames in the second, allowing Brandon Lowe to score the lone run on his line. In the sixth, Hunter Renfroe dribbled an infield single with one out, bringing menacing slugger Yandy Diaz to bat in a four-run game.
After Diaz worked the count full, Valdez spun his most trusted pitch. The curveball bounced in the dirt, giving Diaz first base. Before he went, Diaz exchanged words with Valdez. Valdez approached the arguing hitter, but Maldonado stepped between them to avoid any escalation.
Correa scurried over to ask Diaz what was said. Neither bench cleared, but tensions rose.
Pitching coach Brent Strom sauntered out to settle Valdez. Correa took control of the visit, talking firmly toward Valdez. Correa lamented after the game that he was “a little too heated.”
“Your job is not to go out there and be the bigger man,” Correa toldValdez. “Your job is to help us win this ballgame. Get me a ground ball.”
The conference dissipated, and Valdez toed the rubber again. Lowe loomed. Valdez fired five curveballs to even the count. Lowe looked for a sixth, but Valdez returned with a sinker. The left fielder rolled it to Altuve at second base. Overcome with the yips only two days ago, Altuve secured the baseball and fired a fine throw to Correa.
Correa’s cannon of a right arm affords little worry. His relay to first base beat Lowe by a landslide for an inning-ending double play.
Valdez exited the mound, slapped his glove, and removed his hat. For a moment, he stared toward Diaz as he lingered between first and second base. Valdez turned his attention to his dugout. Correa came behind and bumped his teammate before reaching the steps. The two men rejoiced again.
“There’s definitely momentum our way,” Correa said. “It’s winner-take-all tomorrow. I’m sure they didn’twant to be in this position when they were up 3-0, but herewe are. Both teams are going to go out there tomorrowand battle, but it’s going to be the last man standing.”