Let’s look at the five defining moments of Game 6.
MORE: Game 6, as it happened
Thinking small
When you play for one run, sometimes that’s exactly what you get. Only one run.
Trea Turner led off the game with an infield single — originally ruled an out by first-base umpire Jim Wolff, but quickly overturned (he was easily safe) — off Houston starter Justin Verlander and Adam Eaton followed with a bunt.
We won’t know whether that was Eaton’s call or manager Dave Martinez’s call until after the game, but what we do know is that he bunted. He was thrown out at first base — a great play by catcher Robinson Chirinos — and Turner moved up to second. Eaton bunted despite that he’s batting .316 in this World Series and was 4-for-8 in the first two games here in Houston.
Anthony Rendon followed with a well-place single through a hole in the Astros’ defensive shift, chasing Turner home from second. The Nationals went up 1-0. Juan Soto and Howie Kendrick flew out to end the inning, leaving Rendon on first base.
Was that the right call, bunting? The Nationals will say yes because they scored the run. But even with Stephen Strasburg on the mound, there was very little chance one run would have been enough to win the ballgame. And with Turner — the fastest runner on the club — on first and Eaton, Rendon, Soto and Kendrick following him in the lineup, the potential for a big inning was there.
And Verlander’s given up multiple-run first innings in three of his past four playoff starts. The time to pounce was early. But the Nationals gave them an out, in exchange for second base. Here’s guessing that was just fine with the Astros.
Astros answer
Four pitches into the bottom of the first, the Astros tied the game.
Pitch 1: George Springer laced a double, at 112.1 mph, off the wall in left field. Pitch 2: In the dirt to Jose Altuve, skipped past catcher Yan Gomes, and Springer advanced to third base. Pitch 3: Ball, now 2-0 count Pitch 4: Altuve hit a fly ball to deep left field, more than enough for Springer to score easily from third base.
Not the way Strasburg wanted to start. He struck out Michael Brantley, thanks to a very generous — more bluntly, bad — call by home-plate ump Sam Holbrook. But then Alex Bregman did this, and the Astros jumped ahead, 2-1.
And he carried his bat to first base, angering everyone, for some unknown reason.
Twice is nice
Remember how we said Adam Eaton shouldn’t have bunted in the first inning? (Yes, you’re reading this after the game but I promise it was written as soon as it happened). Well, the bunter tried swinging the bat and he smashed a home run off Verlander with one out in the fifth. And then, after Anthony Rendon flew out, Juan Soto did this.
Don’t believe the 413 estimated distance. Maybe twice that. Oh, and his answer to Bregman’s bat carry was amazing.
Two on, nothing doing
Stephen Strasburg walked two batters in the fourth, with two outs. He struck out Carlos Correa to end that threat, though.
With one out in the fifth, Strasburg gave up a single to Josh Reddick and then a double to George Springer. But then he struck out Jose Altuve on three pitches — the third strike, chasing a pitch very similar to the one on which Correa struck out — and a well-positioned defensive shift made sure Michael Brantley’s line drive was the third out instead of a two-RBI single.
Ball don’t lie
Trea Turner should have been safe. The Nationals should have had runners on second and third with no outs.
But home plate umpire Sam Holbrook ruled that Turner had run out of the baseline (even though he didn’t) and caused Yuli Gurriel to drop the throw from Brad Peacock (even though it was a bad throw that caused the collision). The ruling was upheld. Nationals fans were incensed. And then, Twitter exploded with two things: “Ball Don’t Lie” and “Karma.”
Anthony Rendon made sure there was nothing the umpiring crew could do to his at-bat, pounding the baseball into the Crawford Boxes in left field for a two-run homer that gave the Nationals a 5-2 lead. The crowd at Minute Maid was stunned.
