Bellinger is a ‘miracle’ believer
Dodgers rookie helps power L.A. back to crucial victory over Astros in Houston
Cody Bellinger pulled into second base with his first World Series hit and said: “It’s a miracle!”
With the Dodgers three innings from falling into a deep deficit, the rookie slugger sparked a late comeback that stopped the Houston Astros’ surge Saturday.
Hitless in 13 at-bats, Bellinger doubled and scored the tying run in the seventh inning, then doubled home the go-ahead run off struggling closer Ken Giles in a five-run ninth that lifted Los Angeles to a 6-2 win and deadlocked the Series at two games apiece.
“Sometimes you see in the post-season you want to try to do too much, and that’s what I was doing,” Bellinger said. “Today I tried to make an effort of not doing too much, and when you do that you get two hits sometimes. It’s a crazy game.”
George Springer put the Astros ahead with a two-out homer in the sixth, the first hit off Los Angeles starter Alex Wood. The crowd at Minute Maid Park, where Houston had been 7-0 this post-season, was revved up in anticipation of the Astros having a chance to win the first title in their 56-season history on Sunday. Instead, the Series is guaranteed to go back to Los Angeles, no matter what. Bellinger, a 22year-old bopper who set a National League rookie record with 39 home runs this season, struck out four times in Game 3 and once more in the fifth inning — his eighth whiff of the Series. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts expressed faith Friday night in Bellinger and again Saturday afternoon.
“He’s got that calmness about him,” said Roberts. “And when things speed up, he has a way of sort of resetting and not letting it spiral.”
During batting practice, Bellinger tried to emulate teammates Andre Ethier and Logan Forsythe by hitting the ball to the opposite field.
“I was always told these really good hitters hit the ball the other way in BP and I had never done it, and I wanted to try it,” he said. “I hit every ball in BP today to the left side of the infield. I’ve never done that before in my life. Usually I try to lift. I needed to make an adjustment.”
Bellinger lined a fastball to the opposite field over Marwin Gonzalez into the quirky corner next to the left-field scoreboard, chasing starter Charlie Morton. He came home on Forsythe’s two-out single off Will Harris.
Giles entered to start the ninth and got into immediate trouble, allowing a leadoff single to Corey Seager and walk to Justin Turner. Bellinger took a low slider, then lined a fastball at the letters to left-centre. .
Joe Musgrove relieved and allowed Austin Barnes’ sacrifice fly and Joc Pederson’s three-run homer, his second home run of the Series.
Wood, Brandon Morrow, winner Tony Watson and Kenley Jansen combined on a two-hitter — the first-ever in the Series in which both hits were home runs. Jansen allowed Alex Bregman’s two-out long ball in the ninth, the 15th home run of the Series, most ever through four games, before retiring Jose Altuve on a fly out.
Giles, the loser, was charged with three runs.
Houston was nine outs from winning for the 18th time in 20 home games since returning to Minute Maid Park after hurricane Harvey, and from becoming the first major-league team to start a post-season 8-0 at home.
Making his second appearance since Sept. 26, Wood accomplished a feat that eluded Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Orel Hershiser and other Dodgers greats. In the team’s 109th World Series game, Wood became the first Dodgers pitcher to hold an opponent hitless through five innings.
Houston had put a runner on in 14 consecutive innings before the 26-year-old lefty retired the side in order in the first.
Morton was nearly as stingy, allowing three hits in 6 1/3 innings. This was the first Series game in which both starters allowed four baserunners or fewer.
“We’re a super-resilient team,” Bellinger said. “Taking one here to make sure we go back to L.A. is huge.”