What a game!
Astros epic Game 2 victory could be one of the most memorable in Houston sports history
Oct 26, 2017, 2:26 am
Both Alex Bregman an Jose Altuve came up big Wednesday night. Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Mario Elie’s “Kiss of Death.” Billy Hatcher’s home run against the Mets. The Oilers leading 35-3. Stagger Lee. The touchdown that wasn't in Pittsburgh.
Houston sports history is littered with memorable moments, both good and bad. Wednesday’s 7-6 win over the Dodgers in Game 2 of the World Series ranks right up there.
If the Astros win this series, this will be the game everyone remembers, because it did not go the way anyone thought.
Justin Verlander, unbeaten as an Astro, left the game trailing 3-1. It felt just like Game 1 as the Dodgers’ seemingly unhittable bullpen took over.
But that’s why games played on paper mean nothing.
The Astros scratched out runs against the Dodgers amazing closer, Kenley Jansen, to tie the game.
Houston took a lead in the 10th, only to see Ken Giles give it back trying to work a second inning.
Then George Springer -- the same George Springer everyone wanted to see moved out of the leadoff spot -- came up with the biggest hit of the night in the 11th, and Chris Devenski -- despite giving a run back -- closed it out.
It was simply epic.
This is what sports is all about. Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Springer, Marwin Gonzalez...Your best players making plays when it counts the most. This is why we go to the park, why we stay up all night; for these moments.
The unhittable Dodgers bullpen? Pounded, much like the unhittable Aroldis Chapman and Craig Kimbrel in the prior two series. The Astros bats, so dormant in Game 1 and for most of Game 2, woke up in a big way when it counted most.
The series now shifts to Minute Maid Park, and the Astros could conceivably close things out at home. While that is unlikely to happen, they now have a real shot to win the World Series for the first time in franchise history, all because of an epic, unforgettable night at Dodger Stadium.
The Astros have tied the series at 1-1. On the surface, that does not tell the story. The real story is the Astros won a game that won’t soon be forgotten. And if they go on to win the series, it is one that will stand up as one of the great moments in Houston sports lore.
The Astros have given this storm-ravaged city so many memorable moments. Wednesday they gave us one of the most amazing memories in the history of this city when it comes to sports. At least so far. Do we doubt there will be more?
A lot remains to be done. And in the end, it might not matter. But if they do win it all, this will be a game we never forget.
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There was a conversation Cleveland guard Donovan Mitchell had during training camp, the topic being all the teams that were generating the most preseason buzz in the Eastern Conference. Boston was coming off an NBA championship. New York got Karl-Anthony Towns. Philadelphia added Paul George.
The Cavs? Not a big topic in early October. And Mitchell fully understood why.
“What have we done?” Mitchell asked. “They don't talk about us. That's fine. We'll just hold ourselves to our standard.”
That approach seems to be working.
For the first time in 36 seasons — yes, even before the LeBron James eras in Cleveland — the Cavaliers are atop the NBA at the 25-game mark. They're 21-4, having come back to earth a bit following a 15-0 start but still better than anyone in the league at this point.
“We've kept our standards pretty high,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said. “And we keep it going.”
The Cavs are just one of the surprise stories that have emerged as the season nears the one-third-done mark. Orlando — the only team still unbeaten at home — is off to its best start in 16 years at 17-9 and having done most of that without All-Star forward Paolo Banchero. And Houston is 16-8, behind only the Cavs, Boston, Oklahoma City and Memphis so far in the race for the league's best record.
Cleveland was a playoff team a year ago, as was Orlando. And the Rockets planted seeds for improvement last year as well; an 11-game winning streak late in the season fueled a push where they finished 41-41 in a major step forward after a few years of rebuilding.
“We kind of set that foundation last year to compete with everybody,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “Obviously, we had some ups and downs with winning and losing streaks at times, but to finish the season the way we did, getting to .500, 11-game winning streak and some close losses against high-level playoff teams, I think we kind of proved that to ourselves last year that that's who we're going to be.”
A sign of the respect the Rockets are getting: Oddsmakers at BetMGM Scorebook have made them a favorite in 17 of 24 games so far this season, after favoring them only 30 times in 82 games last season.
“Based on coaches, players, GMs, people that we all know what they're saying, it seems like everybody else is taking notice as well,” Udoka said.
They're taking notice of Orlando as well. The Magic lost their best player and haven't skipped a beat.
Banchero's injury after five games figured to doom Orlando for a while, and the Magic went 0-4 immediately after he tore his oblique. Entering Tuesday, they're 14-3 since — and now have to regroup yet again. Franz Wagner stepped into the best-player-on-team role when Banchero got hurt, and now Wagner is going to miss several weeks with the exact same injury.
Ask Magic coach Jamahl Mosley how the team has persevered, and he'll quickly credit everyone but himself. Around the league, it's Mosley getting a ton of the credit — and rightly so — for what Orlando is doing.
“I think that has to do a lot with Mose. ... I have known him a long time,” Phoenix guard Bradley Beal said. “A huge fan of his and what he is doing. It is a testament to him and the way they’ve built this team.”
The Magic know better than most how good Cleveland is, and vice versa. The teams went seven games in an Eastern Conference first-round series last spring, the Cavs winning the finale at home to advance to Round 2.
Atkinson was brought in by Cleveland to try and turn good into great. The job isn't anywhere near finished — nobody is raising any banners for “best record after 25 games” — but Atkinson realized fairly early that this Cavs team has serious potential.
“We’re so caught up in like the process of improve, improve, improve each game, improve each practice," Atkinson said. “That’s kind of my philosophy. But then you hit 10-0, and obviously the media starts talking and all that, and you’re like, ‘Man, this could be something special brewing here.’”