Astros win wild Game Two against Dodgers to tie World Series 1-1
An 11th-inning blast by George Springer scored two runs and delivered the Houston Astros a wild 7-6 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers to even the World Series at one game apiece on Wednesday.
The Astros offense came to life in extra innings when Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa hit back-to-back solo home runs to lead off the 10th, putting the visiting club up 5-3.
The Dodgers responded in the bottom half of the inning when slugger Yasiel Puig hit a solo shot and Kike Hernandez doubled in a run to tie the game at 5-5.
But Springer's home run, one of eight hit during the game, proved to be the difference even after Dodgers Charlie Culberson's two-out solo shot in the bottom of the 11th cut the Houston lead to 7-6.
Puig struck out on a 3-2 pitch in the bottom of the 11th to end the marathon 4-hour and 19-minute contest.
"This is an instant classic and to be able to be part of it is pretty special," Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander told a news conference.
"That's why I love this team. There's no quit, top to bottom of the lineup. Anybody can win a game at any time," he said.
For the second straight game the Fall Classic played out in unseasonably warm conditions in Los Angeles, with the mercury hitting 95 degree F at the first pitch.
The series now shifts to Houston, where the Astros have yet to lose a game this postseason.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll; Editing by Peter Rutherford/Amlan Chakraborty)