Houston comes up short in the World Series
Astros' season ends with Game 6 loss as Braves win World Series
Nov 2, 2021, 10:33 pm
Houston comes up short in the World Series
Sometimes in sports, destiny and getting hot at the right time supersedes all else. The Braves upset the NL side of the postseason, surprisingly grabbing the pennant instead of the 100-plus win San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers, who were the favorites. They entered the World Series as underdogs to win it against the Astros, with the oddsmakers expecting their string of over-performing to come to an end at the hand of Houston.
After falling behind 3-1 in the series, the Astros fought valiantly in Game 5 in Atlanta, grabbing a comeback win to keep their hopes alive to get the franchise's second Commissioner's Trophy. Those hopes ended in Game 6, as their season came crashing down as Atlanta's batted balls went flying out of Minute Maid Park, putting a bow on their exciting playoff run and ending Houston's in disappointment.
Final Score: Braves 7, Astros 0
World Series (Best of Seven): Atlanta wins 4-2
Winning Pitcher: Max Fried
Losing Pitcher: Luis Garcia
Luis Garcia looked like he may be in store for a magical night, sitting down the top of Atlanta's order 1-2-3 on twelve pitches in the top of the first to bring his offense to the plate. Houston had a chance to grab the early offensive momentum in the bottom of the inning, getting their first two batters on base but wasting the opportunity to keep the game scoreless.
Garcia had another 1-2-3 frame in the top of the second, and then Max Fried matched that in the bottom half. The Braves took over the game in the top of the third, putting two on base with a leadoff single and two-out walk before Jorge Soler would blast a three-run homer out of the ballpark to put Atlanta ahead 3-0. That ended Garcia's night, with Brooks Raley coming in to get the third out.
OH MY 😳
Jorge Soler hits a 3-run BOMB OVER THE TRAIN TRACKS!!! pic.twitter.com/pOAZfLRUYz
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) November 3, 2021
While Fried continued to mow down Houston's bats, Cristian Javier entered to try and eat up some innings out of the bullpen. He made it through the fourth without issue, but a leadoff walk bit him in the top of the fifth, as Dansby Swanson would push the lead to 5-0 with a two-run homer. Later in the inning against Blake Taylor, Freddie Freeman joined in on the run barrage, getting an RBI double to make it a six-run game.
DansBYE!@LieutenantDans7 | #BattleATLÂ pic.twitter.com/sbqBqlARJP
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) November 3, 2021
Phil Maton took over to get the final out of the fifth, then returned with a scoreless sixth despite allowing two singles. Fried gave his team one more scoreless inning, becoming the first starting pitcher this series to make it six frames, and kept the Astros off the board. Ryne Stanek was Houston's next reliever in the top of the seventh, but the runs kept coming for Atlanta, as Freeman would get his second RBI of the night, this one a solo homer to push the lead to 7-0.
No offensive momentum would come for Houston, as they would strand a leadoff single in the bottom of the seventh, then were retired in order in the bottom of the eighth. After Ryan Pressly tossed a scoreless top of the eighth, Yimi Garcia was the last pitcher of the night for Houston, keeping it a seven-run game as Houston tried to do something with their final three outs.
The miraculous rally would not come for Houston, though. The Braves would finish off the shutout, taking the series 4-2 to get their first World Series victory since 1995 to bring the Commissioner's Trophy back to Atlanta.
Jalen Green made two free throws with 3.5 seconds left and the Houston Rockets beat the Golden State Warriors 91-90 on Wednesday night to advance to the NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas.
Houston snapped a 15-game skid against the Warriors, winning for the first time in the series since Feb. 20, 2020. The Rockets will face Oklahoma City, which beat Dallas in the other West quarterfinal game on Tuesday night, in the semifinals on Saturday.
Alperen Sengun led the Rockets with 26 points and 11 rebounds and Jabari Smith Jr. added 15 points.
Houston led by 14 before falling behind late to set up the thrilling finish.
Houston trailed by six with about 1 1/2 minutes left before Fred VanVleet made a 3-pointer and Sengun added a layup with 27 seconds to go to cut the lead to one.
Stephen Curry missed a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left and Gary Payton II grabbed the rebound, but Green intercepted his pass and was fouled by Jonathan Kuminga to set up the winning free throws.
The Warriors had a chance to win it at the buzzer but Smith blocked Brandin Podziemski’s 3-point attempt.
Warriors: Golden State beat the Rockets twice this season without Curry before losing Wednesday in a game where he had 19 points.
Rockets: This young team showed poise in finishing this one after squandering a double-digit lead.
Green’s hustle on getting the ball late to draw the foul to set up the winning free throws.
Houston won despite making just 6 of 27 3-pointers.
While Houston heads to Las Vegas this weekend, the Warriors will return to regular-season play Sunday at Dallas.