‘Mr. October’ not shaken by 0-2 hole
Astros special advisor Reggie Jackson was part of the 1978 Yankees who lost the first two games of the World Series at Dodger Stadium but came back to win the championship.
His response to that deficit 45 years ago? It was vintage Mr. October, never lacking confidence.
“I tell you what I said to a guy when we lost the two,” Jackson said. “I said, ‘Bet that we’re going to win the World Series and be that we’re going to win four straight. Make two bets.’ And we beat them four in a row.”
In his inimitable way, Jackson said the choice was easy for the Astros in Wednesday’s Game 3 at Globe Life Field in Arlington.
“You’ve got to play,” he said. “Are you not gonna go to Dallas? Your ass is going to Dallas whether you won or not, whether you played good or bad, whether you struck out with the bases loaded or not. You’re going to play Game 3, so just get ready. It ain’t over.”
Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz, calling the series for Fox Sports, was a member of the 1996 Braves who lost a 2-0 lead to the Yankees in the World Series. He wasn’t about to dismiss the Astros’ chances.
“The series is about as even as it gets,” Smoltz said. “The first two games proved that. The difference is I think the Astros have the depth to turn a series around. You have to do it with pitching, and they have the starting pitching depth to turn it around. But the one thing about that is when you’re going up against a real good offensive team, you have to set the tone. And they have the pitching to set the tone.
“The first World Series I called was the Chicago Cubs, and they were down 3-1 (in 2016), and I said their pitching is in a better spot than Cleveland’s, and they executed and came back. I would say the same thing for Houston to get back in the series. Their pitching is set up better than the Texas Rangers. The difference is the two top pitchers for Texas have been good all postseason.”
Major League Baseball history says the odds are steeply against the Astros. Teams that took a 2-0 lead in a best-ofseven series have gone on to win the series 75 of 89 times.