Before the start of the game, there was a great moment, as two former American Presidents took part in the official opening of the match-up.
93-year old George H.W. Bush, who was the 41st President of the USA (1989-1993), was on the field to deliver the ball to be used for the ceremonial first pitch to his son George W. Bush, who was the 43rd President (2001-2009).
Bush Jr. then threw the ball to Houston-pitcher Justin Verlander, who served as catcher.
Moments later, Bush Sr. opened the game by calling 'Play Ball'.
Both father and son Bush have a special link with baseball.
Bush Jr. played baseball at Yale University.
From 1989 on through 1998, he was the part-owner of the Texas Rangers.
Bush Sr. was the captain of the baseball-team at Phillips Academy.
Oh, by the way, the Bush-family has some distant Dutch roots, but also English, German and French.
Los Angeles struck early off of starter Dallas Keuchel and a strong start, scoring three runs in the top of the first inning.
Chris Taylor led off the game with a single.
Keuchel followed with a strikeout for Corey Seager, but then got the bases loaded when he walked Justin Turner and Kiké Hernández.
Another strikeout followed, this time for Cody Bellinger, but hereafter, Logan Forsythe delivered a 2-run single.
Moments later, Forsythe took off to steal second base during a pick-off from Keuchel.
First baseman Yulieski Gurriel made a high throw to second baseman José Altuve.
With that, not only Forsythe reached second base safely with a stolen base, but Hernández scored on the throwing error by Gurriel.
As the play at second base was close, a challenge followed, but the call was upheld and so, the Dodgers led 3-0.
Keuchel then recovered and retired the side in the second and third inning.
Dodger-starter Clayton Kershaw encountered no problems in his first three innings.
He retired six consecutive hitters, then gave up a lead-off single in the third at bat to Evan Gattis.
But he was eliminated when Marvin Gonzalez grounded into a double play hereafter.
Los Angeles added another run in the top of the fourth.
Keuchel struckout lead-off hitter Cody Bellinger, but then gave up a double to Logan Forsythe.
Hereafter, Yasiel Puig became Keuchel's fourth strikeout-victim, but again the pitching-ace gave up another basehit.
Austin Barnes connected for a runscoring single that made it a 4-0 score.
When next hitter Charlie Culberson also singled, the evening ended for Keuchel.
Righthander Luke Gregerson took over and made his first appearance in the Series.
He began with a wild pitch that enabled Barnes to move to third base, but then closed with a strikeout.
...Yulieski Gurriel => double, homerun...
...On the photo, Gurriel plays for Cuba in the...
...2009 World Championship in Italy...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
In the bottom of the fourth, Houston made it a complete new ballgame, as the team rallied for four runs to come alongside.
The rally began with a lead-off walk for George Springer.
And it was again underscored that walks are costly.
With one out, José Altuve singled and next hitter Carlos Correa doubled and slid into second base in a close play.
That brought in Springer, moved Altuve to third base, but also led to a challenge.
After reviewing the replays, the call at second base was upheld and with that, Houston had runners on second and third base.
Hereafter, Yulieski Gurriel connected well on the first pitch he saw from Clayton Kershaw and hit the ball into deep leftfield for a 3-run homerun that tied the score!
A pop-up ended the at bat, but it was a new ballgame.
In the top of the fifth inning, Los Angeles re-took the lead and again, walks were involved!
Collin McHugh took over the Houston-pitching, but began with walks for both Corey Seager and Justin Turner.
Hereafter, Kiké Hernández got a called strikeout on an inside-pitch.
Home Plate Umpire Bill Miller got several reactions tonight, as he frequently called inside pitches a strike.
With one out, Cody Bellinger drove the ball into right-centerfield for a 3-run homerun that gave the Dodgers a renewed 7-4 lead.
The game was far from over, as Houston also scored three runs in its fifth at bat.
And two of them were scored by runners who reached on a walk!
With two outs (!), Clayton Kershaw walked George Springer and Alex Bregman.
That marked the end for the pitching ace and Kenta Maeda was brought in.
The Japanese righthander, who had done well in previous games, was greeted with a 3-run homerun from José Altuve that made it a 7-7 score!
In the top of the seventh inning, the Dodgers got back on top.
Brad Peacock took over the Astros-pitching, but gave up a lead-off double to Justin Turner.
He barely missed a homerun, as the ball hit the wall inches under the yellow top.
An attempt to bring him to third base on a bunt failed, as Turner was eliminated there when Kiké Hernández bunted towards the pitcher.
That was costly, but Cody Bellinger followed with a triple.
Centerfielder George Springer made some great catches in previous games, but this time, his diving attempt ended up short and the Dodgers took an 8-7 lead.
Bellinger stranded on third base.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Houston struck with four runs to take the lead for the first time in the game.
Trailing for the third time, Houston came alongside when George Springer led off with a homerun on the first delivery by reliever Brandon Morrow.
Hereafter, Alex Bregman singled and scored all the way from first base on a double into deep leftfield by José Altuve, who was productive again.
Moments later, Altuve advanced to third base on a wild pitch, then scored when Carlos Correa, the other productive Houston-hitter, connected for a 2-run homerun to make it 11-8 in favor of the Astros.
Tony Cingrani was brought in as new pitcher and struckout the next two hitters.
A line drive into rightfield ended the at bat, but now it was Houston that led in this bizarre, spectacular, attractive, crazy and run-rich game full of offensive power.
...Alex Bregman => Game-winning, walk-off single...
...On the photo, Bregman plays for Team USA in the...
...2014 Haarlem Baseball Week in Haarlem (Netherlands)...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
In the top of the eighth, the Dodgers scored again off of Brad Peacock to make it an 11-9 score.
With one out, Joc Pederson doubled and Chris Taylor was hit by a pitch.
Hereafter, Will Harris took over from Peacock, but his first pitch to Corey Seager ended up in deep leftfield for a runscoring double.
Justin Turner then lined out to rightfield, which kept Taylor at third base and led to another pitching change.
Chris Devenski was brought in and he got an inning-ending grounder from pinch-hitter Andre Ethier.
Houston got the run back immediately in the bottom of the eighth when Brian McCann homered with one out to make it a 3-run difference again.
It also was the 21st homerun in this Series for the two teams combined, which tied the World Series-record!
And it was the 100th homerun overall in this postseason, which also tied the record!
In the top of the ninth inning, a record-setting homerun was hit, which made it an one-run difference game!
And a single tied the score again!
Cody Bellinger led off with a walk and with one out, Yasiel Puig drove the ball into leftfield for a 2-run homerun that made it a 12-11 score!
Hereafter, Austin Barnes doubled and moved to third base on a grounder by Joc Pederson.
He then scored the tying run moments late when Chris Taylor singled through the middle to make it a 12-12 score!
In the bottom of the ninth, Kenley Jansen took the mound for the Dodgers and retired the first two hitters.
Yulieski Gurriel then doubled into deep leftfield.
He was replaced at second base by pinch-runner Cameron Maybin, but he was left behind.
And in the meantime, it was 14 minutes after midnight in Houston and the game already lasted four hours and 52 minutes!
And the game now went into extra innings!
In the top of the tenth, off of new pitcher Joe Musgrove, Andre Ethier singled with one out, but later was forced out to end the at bat.
Houston then decided the game in the bottom of the tenth.
With two outs, Jansen hit Brian McCann with a pitch, then walked George Springer.
Next, back-up outfielder Derek Fisher entered the game as pinch-runner for McCann at second base.
The 24-year old Fisher mostly played in Triple-A this season and made his big league-debut playing in 53 games for the Astros.
Now, he made his debut in the World Series and he went on to score the winning run, as Alex Bregman followed with a walk-off single into leftfield!
And that ended the five hours and 17 minutes marathon thriller!
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Houston wins wild record-setting marathon-thriller in 10 innings
HOUSTON, Texas (USA) -
Houston Astros won 13-12 against Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday-evening (October 29) in Game 5 of the World Series, which was a bizarre and exciting Hitchcockian thriller that took 10 innings and more than five hours.
English movie-director Alfred Hitchcock, the 'Master of Suspense', would have been proud of this game with all its twists and turns.
With the win, Houston now leads 3-2.
Today's game was bizarre, wild, exciting, thrilling, a show of offensive power and exhausting for everyone involved that took five hours and seventeen minutes.
It was a game with 25 runs, 28 basehits and seven homeruns.
It was a game in which the Dodgers led 4-0 halfway the fourth inning.
It was a game in which the Dodgers led three times.
It was a game in which the Astros came alongside twice and led 12-9 when the ninth inning began.
The Dodgers then came alongside, but the Astros went on to win in the tenth on a walk-off single by Alex Bregman.
