Astros v Braves — Game 6 of the World Series
Freddie Freeman inspires the Braves to their first title since 1995
Freddie Freeman inspires the Braves to their first title since 1995
I’m going old school again for Game 6, tea, biscuits, and the soothing tones of Joe Buck and John Smoltz. In the dark. The light of the telescreen only. No notes. 500 words only Stephen. Go!
Oh, and here’s my other World Series Blogs, far more detailed and inning by inning timeline of events in the game(s), if you’re interested:
World Series Game 1 — Astros v Braves
The Visiting Braves follow their tried and trusted method, win 6–2 and perhaps set a precedent for this years “Big…medium.com
World Series Game 2 — Houston v Atlanta
Jose Urquidy strikes out 7, goes 5 strong and gets the win as the Astros level the World Series at 1–1.medium.com
Braves v Astros — World Series, Game 3
Braves set all sorts of records in a 2 hit, 2 run win in Game 3 and take a 2–1 lead into Game 4.medium.com
Braves v Astros. Game 4 of the Baseball World Series.
After a come from behind win, is it written in the baseball stars for the Atlanta Braves as they lead 3–1 in the Series…medium.com
Braves v Astros — World Series Game 5
Martin Maldonado carries his team kicking and screaming into a Game 6 and the World Series is still alive.medium.com
500 words! The cheek of my Editor!
Midway through the 2nd inning of tonight’s clash it had the look of my favourite brand of baseball contest, a pitching duel. Luis Garcia had started strongly for the home town Astros and was throwing with velocity and control and had accumulated 3 strikeouts. For the Braves, starter and “Ace” Max Fried had also kept runs from the scorebooks and was looking every bit a threat as Garcia, however, just as he started this World Series, perhaps Jorge Soler’s tattooed Home Run in the 3rd inning for the Braves also began the ending of this World Series. He even cleared the railway track and effectively crushed the ball out of the park and led his Braves team to an early 3–0 lead as he batted in Swanson and Rosario. With Garcia now hit from the game, Cristian Javier kept the score line to 3–0 until, in the 5th, Swanson took him deep to extend the lead to 5–0 and before the inning was out Freddie Freeman crushed a double against the centre field wall scoring Jorge Soler. It would have been poetic had the game stayed at 6–0 with Jorge Soler both starting the scoring in Game 1 to doing the same here and now ending it, seemingly, however in the 7th inning Freddie Freeman, the talismanic face of the Atlanta Braves crushed a Home Run and the Braves had a 7–0 lead needing only 9 “outs” to be World Champions. Tyler Matzek and Will Smith were lights out as usual, but they methodically closed out a brilliant win for Max Fried who was electric tonight giving up only 4 hits and striking out 6 batters in a brilliant 6 innings.
The Braves are deserved World Series Champions and their first Championship for 26 years. Over 6 games they were too strong for the Astros and they reversed my Series prediction. They got in front on strong starting pitchers and from the 4th or 5th inning onward they were more than happy to pass this lead to a bullpen that was, as above, lights out. I’m not a “stats man”, but Travis d’Arnaud will have some good ones in this World Series, as will Jorge Soler (World Series MVP), Eddie Rosario and essentially the entire Atlanta Braves team.
But perhaps Freddie Freeman’s Home Run in the 7th was the most apt of all as it capped a 7–0 thrashing in the Astros backyard and confirmed the domination and correct result of this World Series.
My literary hero Hunter S Thompson once opined “Football season is over” and he was being particularly bleak when he wrote those words. But Hunter loved baseball too (or any sport he could bet on in his local bar) and baseball season is now officially over. No more baseball. No more crazy late nights.
No more nights in the dark with only Joe Buck and John Smoltz for company.
But we only have to wait five months and the whole “Big Dance” starts up all over again. And I’ll be back in the company of Joe Davis on the LA Dodgers Spectrum Sportsnet telecasts. As Hunter would’ve said at this juncture “and why not?”.
Why not indeed. Let’s Go Dodgers! See you for spring training.
“Take, me out to the ball game…….”
