Astros Take Wild Game 5, Take 3-2 Lead To LA
HOUSTON (AP) - Alex Bregman hit a game-ending single off Kenley Jansen with two outs in the 10th inning Monday morning, and the Houston Astros outslugged the Los Angeles Dodgers 13-12 to take a 3-2 World Series lead.
Silent early when ace Dallas Keuchel allowed Los Angeles to spurt ahead 4-0, the crowd erupted over and over as the Astros sent balls careening all around - and out of - pulsating Minute Maid Park.
Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Yuli Gurriel, George Springer and Brian McCann homered for Houston, which tied the score 4-4 against Clayton Kershaw, fell behind 7-4 on Cody Bellinger's three-run homer, then rallied again to lead 11-8 after seven innings and 12-9 after eight.
Yasiel Puig's two-run homer in the ninth off Chris Devenski was the record 22nd of the Series, and Chris Taylor tied the score with a two-out, two-strike RBI single.
Jensen hit McCann with a pitch with two outs, George Springer walked and Derek Fisher pinch ran for Bregman at second. Bregman won the 5-hour, 17-minute marathon with a liner into left field.
Joe Musgrove, Houston's seventh pitcher, threw a scoreless 10th for the win.
Game 6 is Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, where Justin Verlander will try to clinch the Astros' first championship and Rich Hill hopes to save the Dodgers' season.
---
12:18 a.m.
Yasiel Puig hit a two-run homer off Chris Devenski in the ninth inning and Chris Taylor tied the score with a two-out, two-strike RBI single, leaving the Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros tied 12-12.
Yuli Gurriel hit a two-out double high off the left-field fence in the bottom half against Kenley Jansen, missing a winning homer by about 5 feet. Josh Reddick then popped out.
Puig's home run was the 22nd of the Series, topping the previous record set in the Anaheim Angels' seven-game win over San Francisco in 2002.
---
11:43 p.m.
Brian McCann hit Houston's fifth home run in Game 5 of the World Series, a solo shot in the eighth that gave the Astros a 12-9 lead going into the ninth inning.
The five homers matched the most hit by a team in a World Series game.
With 21 homers combined, the Astros and Dodgers have matched the most in a World Series - and there is still at least one more game to play. The Los Angeles Angels and San Francisco Giants also had 21 homers during the 2002 World Series.
If the Astros hold on to the lead in the ninth, they will go to Los Angeles with a 3-2 series lead and only win shy of their first World Series title. Game 6 is Tuesday night.
Assuming no extra innings, Game 5 will also be the longest nine-inning World Series game ever. The previous record was 4 hours, 19 minutes by the Boston Red Sox and Colorado Rockies in Game 3 of the 2007 Series. The Astros and Dodgers were already past that after eight innings.
After the Dodgers got a run in the top of the eighth on Corey Seager's RBI double, Los Angeles had runners on second and third with two outs when Andre Ethier came on as pinch-hitter. Houston then brought in Chris Devenski.
Ethier had an inning-ending groundout when appearing in his 49th postseason game, matching former shortstop Bill Russell's franchise record.
---
11:06 p.m.
George Springer and Carlos Correa homered in a four-run seventh inning to give the Houston Astros their first lead of the game over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
After Cody Bellinger's RBI triple gave the Dodgers the lead in the top of the inning, Springer evened it up in the bottom of the frame when he sent Brandon Morrow's first pitch onto the train tracks atop left field. Alex Bregman connected on his next pitch to center field for a single before he scored on a double by Jose Altuve to give Houston a 9-8 lead.
Morrow then threw a wild pitch to allow Altuve to advance to third before Correa's towering shot to the Crawford Boxes made it 11-8.
Play was briefly stopped after that as a shirtless fan in red and blue sparkly shorts ran onto the field for a few seconds before being tackled by security guards and taken away.
Tony Cingrani took over after that and retired the next three batters, with two strikeouts to end the inning.
In the top of the inning, Peacock allowed a leadoff double to Justin Turner on a ball which came within a few inches of being a home run. But he was erased on a fielder's choice when Peacock fielded a bunt by Enrique Hernandez and threw to Alex Bregman at third base.
Bellinger's triple came next to make it 8-7. George Springer came close to catching it in center field, but instead it bounced away from him and to the warning track to allow Hernandez to score.
Peacock struck out Logan Forsythe and retired Yasiel Puig to limit the damage.
---
10:33 p.m.
After all the offense in the fifth inning, pitchers regained command in the sixth.
Collin McHugh threw a called third strike past Austin Barnes, then walked pinch-hitter Joc Pederson. Chris Taylor flied to right and Corey Seager took a called third strike - he started to slam his bat, then stopped himself.
Pederson went to left in the bottom half and Enrique Hernandez moved to second.
Kenta Maeda struck out Josh Reddick and walked Evan Gattis. Left-hander Tony Watson retired Marwin Gonzalez on a flyout, then retired Brian McCann on a grounder to short right field that was picked up by third baseman Logan Forsythe, who was shifted over.
---
9:56 p.m.
Game 5 of the World Series is still tied after both teams got three-run homers in the fifth inning.
Astros second baseman Jose Altuve greeted Dodgers reliever Kenta Maeda with a two-out blast to tie the game 7-7 in the bottom of the fifth after Cody Bellinger's three-run blast for the Dodgers in the top half of the inning.
Maeda, who had just taken over for Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, hadn't given up a run in his previous nine innings over seven appearances this postseason before Altuve went deep to the chants of "M-V-P!, M-V-P!"
Kershaw had exited after issuing back-to-back two-out walks. The lefty allowed six runs and four hits with two strikeouts and three walks in 4 2-3 innings.
In winning Game 1, Kershaw struck out 11 with no walks while giving up three hits and only one run over seven innings.
Bellinger had gone hitless in his first 13 at-bats in the World Series before two doubles in Game 4 on Saturday night. The first double drove home the tying run and the other put the Dodgers ahead in the ninth inning of a 6-2 win that evened the series at two games each.
Bellinger struck out in his first two at-bats Sunday night before a homer off Astros reliever Collin McHugh, who was making his World Series debut.
McHugh walked Corey Seager and Justin Turner, the first two batters he faced, after taking over to start the fifth. Kike Hernandez then took a called third strike before Bellinger's big blast to right-center.
---
9:07 p.m.
Yuli Gurriel hit a three-run homer off Clayton Kershaw to power a four-run inning for the Houston Astros that tied the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at 4-4 after four innings.
Kershaw had allowed just one baserunner when he walked George Springer to start Houston's fourth before a one-out single by Jose Altuve. Correa's double to left field scored Springer to cut the lead to 4-1.
Then came Gurriel's shot to left field that tied it up. The hit came a night after Gurriel went 0 for 3 after he was suspended for the first five games of 2018 for making a racist gesture toward Yu Darvish in Game 3.
The Dodgers added a run on an RBI single by Austin Barnes in the top of the inning and knocked Dallas Keuchel out of the game before Houston's offense finally got going in the bottom of the inning.
Keuchel allowed five hits and four runs - three earned - in 3 2/3 innings in the shortest home start of his career.
He was replaced by Luke Gregerson, who struck out Chris Taylor for the third out.
Gregerson will likely be the first of several relievers Houston will have to use Sunday, but if the game is close in the ninth inning, closer Ken Giles won't get the call. Manager A.J. Hinch said Giles, who took the loss in Game 4 after giving up three runs in the ninth inning, was likely to pitch again in this series but he didn't know when or how he would use him.
---
8:25 p.m.
Dallas Keuchel retired the side in order for the second straight inning in the third but his pitch count continued to climb. He needed 57 pitches to get nine outs, throwing just 29 strikes. He went to three-ball counts on five of his first eight batters and six of his first 13.
Evan Gattis drove a low 3-2 fastball to left-center leading off the bottom of the third for Houston's first hit off Clayton Kershaw but was erased when Marwin Gonzalez grounded into a 5-4-3 double play.
Kershaw faced the minimum nine batters through three innings, throwing 27 of 39 pitches for strikes.
---
8:06 p.m.
Dodgers lefty Clayton Kershaw is off to another impressive start against the Houston Astros in Game 5 of the World Series.
Kershaw has retired all six batters faced, all since Los Angeles scored three runs in the top of the first to give him a 3-0 lead.
It is a rematch of left-handed aces, Kershaw against Dallas Keuchel like in Game 1 last Tuesday.
The Dodgers won the World Series opener 3-1 when Kershaw struck out 11 with no walks while giving up one run on three hits over seven innings. Kershaw did have only one strikeout through the first two innings Sunday night.
Keuchel settled down with a 1-2-3 second, needing only 13 pitches to get out of the inning. That was after throwing 32 pitches with two walks in the Dodgers' three-run first.
---
7:47 p.m.
Logan Forsythe's two-run single and a run-scoring throwing error by first baseman Yuli Gurriel helped the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 3-0 first inning lead against Houston Astros ace Dallas Keuchel.
Keuchel struggled with his control, walking two and throwing just 15 of 32 pitches for strikes in the inning. In losing the opener to Clayton Kershaw last week at Dodger Stadium, Keuchel threw 52 of 84 pitches for strikes and walked one while allowing three runs over 6 2/3 innings.
Chris Taylor singled up the middle leading off and Corey Seager took a called third strike. Justin Turner walked on five pitches and Enrique Hernandez on four, loading the bases and prompting a visit to the mound by pitching coach Brent Strom.
Game 4 star Cody Bellinger struck out, chasing an outside 1-2 slider. After catcher Brian McCann's third trip to the mound of the inning, Forsythe lined a hip-high slider into left field as two runs scored. The ball bounced off the heel of Marwin Gonzalez's glove, allowing Turner to come home without a play.
With runners at the corners, Forsythe started for second and Keuchel threw to first. Gurriel's throw was wide, forcing Jose Altuve to come off the base, and Forsythe beat the second baseman to the bag as Hernandez scored. Houston challenged the safe call by second base umpire Mark Wegner, which was upheld in a video review.
Kershaw retired the side in order in the first, throwing nine of 12 pitches for strikes.
---
7:10 p.m.
Former President George W. Bush has thrown out the ceremonial first pitch before Game 5 with father and former President George H.W. Bush on the field cheering him on.
The younger Bush was a former controlling owner of the Texas Rangers, but donned an Astros jacket and received a nice round of applause when he stepped on the mound. He then made a nice, firm toss to Houston ace Justin Verlander.
The elder Bush, who is 93 and in a wheelchair, was handed a ball when he came onto the field. The one-time Yale first baseman held it with a perfect grip as the crowd cheered.
The two talked with Verlander for a couple of minutes before posing for pictures with him. They also took pitchers with Astros owner Jim Crane and his wife Whitney.
The 41st president then announced "Let's play ball" to the crowd as his son stood behind him smiling.
This wasn't the first time the 43rd president has thrown out a first pitch at the World Series. He famously did it in Game 3 of the 2001 World Series in New York when the Yankees played the Diamondbacks less than two months after 9/11. That time he wore a black jacket with "FDNY" on the back to honor the firefighters killed in the terrorist attacks.
---
6:00 p.m.
Houston rapper Travis Scott is predicting a win for the Astros in Game 5.
The "Goosebumps" rapper and Kylie Jenner's beau says: "We're taking the win. I had a dream that they were going to win. It's lit."
Scott has been a big supporter of the Houston Rockets over the last couple of years and has attended several of their games.
He's good friends with James Harden and even designed a T-shirt that was distributed before one of the team's playoff games last season.
But on Sunday he was only thinking about the Astros: "I'm the No. 1 Astros fan at this current moment in this building right now. It might be crazy."
And speaking of the Rockets, their opponents on Monday, the Philadelphia 76ers, spent part of their off day taking in the game. Star center Joel Embiid and his teammates crowded around the batting cage before the game, with half in Dodgers jerseys and the other half in Astros orange.
---
5:49 p.m.
Yuli Gurriel still has to face the fans in Los Angeles after his racist gesture toward Dodgers pitcher Yu Darvish.
The Astros first baseman has had the support of Houston fans since his response toward Darvish after hitting a home run in Game 3 on Friday night. But the series will be back in LA for Game 6 on Tuesday night.
Major League Baseball suspended Gurriel for the first five games of the 2018 regular season, but didn't take him out of the World Series.
"I don't think I need to talk to him about it, I think everyone is aware it's going to be a rough setting for him," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said before Game 5 in Houston. "I don't think you can convince 55,000 fans to turn the page as fast as maybe the two teams have. And that goes out of support for their own players and their own people."
The Cuban-born Gurriel pulled on the corners of his eyes after the homer off Darvish during Houston's 5-3 win in Game 3. He also used a derogatory Spanish term in reference to Darvish, who was born in Japan. Gurriel, who played in Japan in 2014, has apologized for his actions.
Hinch said Gurriel has a good heart and made a mistake.
"He'll pay for it," Hinch said. "And I think that obviously in the looming suspension to come, but also with the reaction in LA, I'm sure will be on the aggressive side."
---
5:14 p.m.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts says Justin Turner would be at third base if Los Angeles had not been able to use a designated hitter in Game 5.
Roberts put Turner at DH, kept Corey Seager at shortstop, moved Logan Forsythe from second to third and inserted Charlie Culberson at second.
"If it was at Dodger Stadium, yes, he would play," Roberts says. "It was just kind of weighing his calf versus being comfortable being the DH, Charlie never DH-ing before, Corey would really rather play the field. I think if you put everything in and trust the defense, second base, at third as well, so it's sort of a no-brainer for me."
---
5:08 p.m.
Los Angeles' 6-2 comeback win in Game 4 had 15,906,000 viewers on Fox's three outlets, down 7 percent from the 17 million who watched Cleveland beat the Chicago Cubs 7-2 in the fourth game last year.
Fox said Saturday's game was seen by an average of 15,401,000 on its main Fox network and 375,000 on Fox Deportes. In addition, an average of 130,500 streamed the game on Fox Sports Go.
Last year's fourth game was seen by an average of 16.7 million on Fox, 212,000 on Fox Deportes and 88,000 in Fox Sports Go.
---
3:41 p.m.
The Houston Astros are staying with the same batting order for the third straight World Series game.
Center fielder George Springer tops the Astros' order Sunday night, followed by third baseman Alex Bregman, second baseman Jose Altuve, shortstop Carlos Correa, first baseman Yuli Gurriel, right fielder Josh Reddick, designated hitter Evan Gattis, left fielder Marwin Gonzalez and catcher Brian McCann. Left-hander Dallas Keuchel is on the mound.
The Los Angeles Dodgers won 6-2 Saturday night to even the Series at two games apiece.
(Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
