It sure looked like the 2021 World Series would end on Sunday night. The Atlanta Braves, already holding a 3-1 lead in the series, stormed into Game 5 with a Grand Slam in the first inning and positioned themselves to have a huge celebration at their home park. But the Houston Astros just were not willing to give up.
With their backs against the wall, the Astros bounced back in an impressive fashion and claimed a 9-5 win to keep their World Series hopes alive. They now travel back to Houston, where they will have to get another win on Tuesday if they want to force a deciding Game 7.
The Braves took the lead at the bottom of the first when Adam Duvall hit a 377-foot home run and became the only player in franchise history besides Lonnie Smith to have a Grand Slam in the World Series.
Houston didn’t get discouraged, however, and slowly cut into Atlanta’s lead to make it 4-4 at the top of the third.
The Braves then took the lead again thanks to Freddie Freeman’s 460-foot homer at the bottom of the third. This was also Freeman’s longest homer of the season.
After that, it was all Houston. After Martin Maldonado walked to make it 5-5 at the top of the fifth, Marwin Gonzalez singled and got the Astros into the driving seat.
Maldonado singled at the top of the seventh, and Carlos Correa singled at the top of the eighth to wrap it up for the Astros.
“Before the game we talked and we said, ‘We’re not gonna give up,'” Correa, who finished with three hits, said after the game. “We’re gonna go out there fighting.”
This was the first postseason loss at home for the Braves, but manager Brian Snitker believes this game won’t affect his team’s ability to finish the job and give Atlanta its first World Series win since 1995.
“If we win the World Series, it doesn’t matter where it is,” Snitker said. “I’d have loved to have done it in front of our fans. Hopefully, we can do it the next couple of days.”
