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.
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.
I originally fell in love with “America’s Pastime” as a bleary eyed teenager on bleak early mornings and because of the magical witchcraft of the early Satellite Television revolution here in the UK. I was an early adopter of the white dish (much to my dear old Mum’s dismay) but every imaginable American sport was available, live, on television, and not listened to on a crackly longwave radio signal from Armed Forces Radio which dropped in and out of signal seemingly, and frustratingly, at will. Now I could watch (American) Football, Basketball (never appealed to me), Ice Hockey (I tried, I really did, but although balletic and exciting if choreographed mayhem, hockey never really stuck).
And then there was baseball.
My first baseball love was Jose Canseco the outfielder and designated hitting slugger for the Oakland A’s. Time plays tricks with the mind and a memory I am desperately trying to stretch back to the very late 1980’s but this teenager always seemed to be watching Canseco crush yet another Home Run off an exasperated pitcher on the mound. By the end of his career, Jose had 462 Major League Baseball “Homers” to his name as well as a colourful and somewhat scandalously tall tale to tell of a career in the American big leagues. But way before then I had already dropped my first baseball crush for another.
Jose was usurped by a Canadian born Dodger named Eric Gagne and very much in line with my developing and maturing baseball palette. Where Jose was an old school slugger of a baseball, Gagne was the aggressive and gruff hurler of the ball from the mound, first as a starting pitcher (though I never recall seeing Eric start a Dodgers game) but, as he became known to me for oh so many wonderful late nights watching the Los Angeles Dodgers, the “closer” or closing pitcher. The duty of a closing pitcher is fairly simple. You have a lead to defend and a game to close out so hurl that white ball in your hand as hard as you possibly can. Well, not quite, but there’s more than a grain of truth in that clumsy description. And Gagne had that fierce fastball but he also had a delightful 15mph slower “change up” that could make batters look rather foolish. Which he did. Time and time again as he closed out wins for the Dodgers.
As with the above, substitute the teenager watching the Oakland A’s with a now mid 20’s young man. Now substitute the wall to wall satellite coverage with the UK’s first live showing of baseball on Channel 5 in 1997 and their momentous “Sunday Night Baseball” (occasional Wednesday nights too if I recall) and you have a growing human being as well as a maturing palette for the game of baseball as a whole. As an Englishman I equate baseball with cricket (hence my adoration of both games) but more so the intricacies of the game, the nuances, the differences in pitchers and pitching styles and of course the infernal statistics. But rather than sluggers, I now loved watching pitchers and marvelled at how they managed the game. Be it Tim Wakefield of the Boston Red Sox and his infuriating “Knuckleball” that hung in the air for an eternity or Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks who growled his way through every inning, or the second baseball love of my life, Eric Gagne and his seemingly miraculous ability to stride to the pitchers mound in the 9th Inning, close out the game and secure the game win for the LA Dodgers.
The reason for the mini ramble of baseball memories above is that I truly hope that Game 3 below is a “pitchers duel”. I am writing this preamble hours ahead of first pitch tonight and as well as hoping for that tight, low scoring game that signals a pitching duel is in process I am also going to write this, my 3rd blog on the World Series, in a slightly different way and try to give a summation of each innings, live, as I watch. A little different. We’ll see how it pans out! I just hope that my running commentary below will be of two pitchers spinning strong and strikeout filled innings and they are both still on the mound in the 6th inning in a tense 1–1 game. There’s been traffic on the bases. There’s been walks. But there’s also been “twin killings” to end the inning and get our Ace out of a jam, back on his seat, and preparing for the next clean, run free inning. We can but hope:
1st Inning: Following the National Anthem and a touching tribute to Hank Aaron, we are underway at 1.12am UK time and Atlanta looks bathed in a cold, dark, misty drizzling rain. The Braves starting pitcher Ian Anderson comes out firing but can’t find a strike and walks the diminutive Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman before a smart double play set up an inning ending fly out from Yordan Alvarez.
Luis Garcia, the Houston Astros starting pitcher and he of the baby cradling rocking motion in his wind up, hit the mound as the drizzle worsened and although he couldn’t get a fish to bite on his curveball he blew away Austin Riley with a 96mph fastball after walking Ozzie Albies and getting a weak fly out from big hitting Braves hero Freddie Freeman. After starting the inning by striking out the mega hot and flying Eddie Rosario, it’s 0–0 at the bottom of the 1st inning.
2nd Inning: The top of the 2nd was spectacular from Anderson as he completely dominated the heart of the Astros batting order with first Carlos Correa and then bare handed hitter Kyle Tucker dumping weak fly outs before Gurriel was blown away for an inning ending strike out. Garcia returned to the mound in the top of the 2nd inning and still couldn’t find his curveball or slider. He had to rely on his fastball and this was both a blessing and a curse as he struck out Jorge Soler (Home Run in Game One) and got a strong ground out from Adam Duvall before Travis d’Arnaud crushed a huge double that was only a few feet from being a Home Run. Walking Swanson to get to the pitcher Anderson, Garcia overmatched his fellow pitcher, struck him out on a curveball and the score remained 0–0.
3rd Inning: Baseball at it’s traditional finest! A 1,2,3 inning from an overpowering Anderson as he forced weak ground outs from a still struggling Martin Maldonaldo and his pitching counterpart Garcia before striking out Jose Altuve with a high “heater” that Altuve couldn’t resist. 3up. 3 down!
However impressive the Astros starter Garcia has been so far (4 Strikeouts) he simply can’t get ahead of the Braves batters as they won’t bite on his secondary pitches of a slider or curveball and has to rely on his fastball. Eddie Rosario worked a walk before Freddie Freeman clubbed his first hit of the night and the Braves have two runners on base and nobody out. Garcia finally got a strikeout with his slider and sits down Albies but Austin Riley clubbed the first curveball he saw down the 3rd base line for a double and the home team Braves take a 1–0 lead with still only one out in the inning. Garcia walks Jorge Soler and walks the bases loaded in the process. Big hitting Adam Duvall finally bites on a non-fastball and pops up an easy catch before catcher d’Arnaud (2 Runs in Game Two), on form and with the bases loaded couldn’t resist a slider from Garcia and the talented 24 year old had pitched himself into, and out of, a jam, and the scored remained just 1–0 to the host team, Braves. A third of the way through Game 3 and it’s a humdinger so far but Luis Garcia needs to get the Braves to bite on his secondary pitches otherwise I fear he’ll soon be replaced on the Astros pitching mound.
4th Inning: Now with a 1–0 lead Ian Anderson faced the top of the Astros batting order again and immediately blew away Michael Brantley with a strike out before getting a weak fly ball from Alex Bregman. Walks were given to both Alvarez and Correa and with the tension mounting, Anderson forced a weak ground ball from the gloveless Tucker and the inning was over. 1–0 to the Braves in the middle of the 4th and Anderson has not yet given up a single hit to the Astros.
Luis Garcia returned to the mound for the Astros and secured two outs on just two pitches but his game was run. The only blight on a strong performance was his inability to coax the Braves to swing at his secondary pitches, but his fastball was only really tagged once and it was another impressive start with six big strikeouts. Replaced by Blake Taylor who gave up an immediate hit to the ever impressive Eddie Rosario, he blew away the home town favourite Freddie Freeman and at 4 full, the score remains 1–0 to the Braves.
5th Inning: The misty rain appears to be falling much heavier in Atlanta but the brilliant Anderson isn’t affected as he spins another 1,2,3 inning and whisper it, he’s on a no-hitter after 5 innings pitched and has a 1–0 lead at the half way stage.
Yimi Garcia replaces namesake Luis Garcia on the mound for the Astros and gives up a walk to Soler and a hit to Duvall before a weak ground out from d’Arnaud ends the inning and at the end of the 5th, it’s still a 1–0 ball game.
6th Inning: After a no hit 5 innings, Anderson is replaced by the overpowering AJ Minter from the bullpen. Alas, “new” baseball theory hath arrived and the replacing of a starting pitcher who hasn’t even given up a hit! The theory, as this UK bound heathen sees it is: Your starter has completed a perfect deep start, hand it over to a rolling and structured bullpen of high velocity throwing fastball pitchers, close out the game, and go home with the win. The overpowering left handed AJ Minter who replaced Anderson spun the perfect inning to exemplify this “new” baseball. A walk, a weak ground out and two 97mph inspired strikeouts. 6 innings pitched by the Braves — Zero Astros hits.
It’s effectively a bullpen game now and the Astros continue with the hard throwing Garcia who gets two weak outs before being replaced by Brooks Raley for the lefty lefty match up with the dangerous Eddie Rosario. As the misty rain continues to fall in a clearly cold Atlanta, Rosario flares a week fly ball to centre field where Kyle Tucker sprints through the misty rain and makes an amazing sliding catch. 6 innings full. Still 1–0 to the Braves.
7th Inning: Luke Jackson, who so impressed this particular Dodgers fan in the Divisional Series replaces the brilliant AJ Minter and produces a quick 1,2,3 inning as he sits down Correa, Tucker and Gurriel in order. And whisper it again — 7 Innings — Zero hits. The home team Braves are on for a team no hitter.
Time to stretch!
Raley continues on the mound for the Astros for another lefty lefty match up with Freeman and he prevails with a weak ground out. Ozzie Albies lines out for his third hitting failure tonight and Raley’s night is done in pitching relief and is himself relieved by Ryan Stanek for the match up with Austin Riley. With two outs at the bottom of the 7th inning and the misty rain easing but still falling, tonight has so far yielded just five hits in a 1–0 tension filled ball game and Stanek, throwing 98/99mph heaters sets up the dangerous Riley with two high fastballs before striking him out with a slider/change up. No further hits registered. No further score. Still 1–0 Braves.
8th Inning: If you look up the definition of “Lights Out” in the dictionary you’d probably see a picture of Tyler Matzek, the left handed power pitcher for the Braves. Paradoxically, he actually gave up the night’s first hit for the Astros, a squib hit that just befuddled the Braves outfielders and dropped innocently to the turf from the bat of designated hitter Diaz. The team “no hitter” was gone but although a stolen base turned into an error and a scoring threat standing at 3rd base and just 90 feet away from scoring for the first time tonight, Matzek got weak pop ups to end the inning and keep the Braves on top, 1–0.
Astros usual closer Kendall Graveman pitched in the bottom of the 8th and quickly despatched Soler via a brilliant defensive play from Correa at short stop before blowing away Duvall with a brilliant strikeout. However, Braves catcher Travis d’Arnaud, scorer of the 2 of the Braves 3 most recent runs tonight and in Game 2, clubbed a huge Home Run to stretch his own tally to 3 runs in 2 games, and stretch tonight’s lead to 2–0 as we head into the top of the 9th inning and the entrance of Will Smith with a 2 run lead.
9th Inning: See above for dictionary definition of “Lights Out” for Will Smith. Closer Smith is due to pitch to the heart of the Astros order (Bregman, Alvarez and Correa) but is the epitome of lights out as per usual. A flared hit from Bregman into an empty outfield gave the Astros hope, as well as only their second hit of the entire game. But weak pop ups and fly outs from the Astros usual slugging department of Alvarez, Correa and Tucker saw a relatively stress free close out from Smith and a history making night for the Braves was topped off with a Game 3 win and a 2–1 lead in the Best of 7 series.
A combined 8 hit and 2 run night doesn’t sound like an exciting game to the outsider perhaps, but this was baseball, old and new, at it’s finest. I still take the Astros to win in 6 games but tonight’s 2 hit only game may come back to haunt them. But the night belongs to Ian Anderson for 5 superb no hit innings and to AJ Minter, Luke Jackson, Tyler Matzek and Will Smith for flawless back up. And perhaps the final word goes to Braves Manager Brian Snitker, “new” baseball and sticking to your team beliefs. Get ahead. Don’t give up hits or runs. Smother the opposition. And then unleash a hungry bullpen.
It worked tonight and despite the low score line, this was one hell of a ball game. I predict the Astros in 6 but I have a strong feeling we’re all going to be going to a “Big Dance” in Game 7. We can but hope. Roll on Game 4!
