The Los Angeles Dodgers forced a decisive seventh game in the 2017 World Series by rallying for a 3-1 victory over the Houston Astros on Tuesday night in front of a packed Dodger Stadium.
Joc Pederson hit his third World Series home run for the Dodgers, who compiled just five hits. Tony Watson received the win in relief, and Kenley Jansen pitched two perfect innings with three strikeouts for his second Series save and his fifth of the post-season. Astros right-hander Justin Verlander took his first loss of the post-season after four victories. In six innings, Verlander amassed nine strikeouts and permitted just two runs and three hits.
With the Series tied at three games apiece, right-hander Yu Darvish will take the mound for the Dodgers on Wednesday night. Houston have yet to announce a starting pitcher, although Lance McCullers was seen throwing on the field minutes after Game 6 came to an end. Los Angeles overcame a 1-0 deficit by turning two hits, a hit batsman and a sacrifice fly into two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning against Verlander, who collected eight strikeouts and conceded just one hit while retiring 15 of the first 16 Dodgers.
Austin Barnes started the rally with a single to left field, then took second base when Chase Utley was hit by a pitch and scored on Chris Taylor’s double down the right-field line. Utley moved to third on Taylor’s double and came home on Corey Seager’s sacrifice fly.
Houston put the potential tying run at third base with two out in the top of the seventh. Pinch-hitter Evan Gattis reached on a fielder’s choice and moved to second on George Springer’s single. Pinch-runner Derek Fisher then replaced Gattis and took third on Alex Bregman’s deep fly out. But Jose Altuve grounded out to end the inning.
Pederson made the Astros pay for their failure to convert by hitting Joe Musgrove’s 97mph fastball into the first row of the left-field bleachers in the bottom of the seventh. Pederson traipsed around the bases, jumped up and down as he approached third and waived his hands to encourage the fans to yell louder as ran home.
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(@MLB)#JocPop. That’s money. #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/1WO8xOtXWn
Springer gave the Astros a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning when he hit his fourth home run of the World Series and his fifth of the post-season. Springer propelled left-hander Rich Hill’s fastball over the right-field fence, despite Yasiel Puig’s last-second attempt to make a catch by climbing the fence.
The Astros had a chance to expand their lead in the top of the fifth, when they put runners in scoring position with nobody out. Brian McCann began the inning with a single, then moved to third base on Marwin Gonzalez’s double down the left-field line.But Hill struck out Josh Reddick and Verlander before walking Springer intentionally. Brandon Morrow then relieved Hill and made Bregman ground out.
Houston first baseman Yuli Gurriel received intense boos before every pitch of each plate appearance. Gurriel received a five-game suspension for next season after mocking Darvish’s Japanese ancestry during the third game.