Houston Astros beat Los Angeles Dodgers 13-12 to move within one win of first World Series title
Monday 30 October 2017 07:42, UK
The Houston Astros are on the brink of a first World Series title after a thrilling 13-12 extra innings win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game Five.
A game that was meant to feature one of the sport's best pitching duels proved to be anything but as seven home runs were hit and both Dallas Keuchel and Clayton Kershaw had rare bad days on the mound.
Houston's victory means they will take their first championship by winning one of the remaining two games, although both of those take place in Los Angeles.
The Dodgers got off to a flyer on Sunday, taking a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning on a two-run single from Logan Forsythe and an Astros error which allowed Enrique Hernandez to score.
They were 4-0 in front by the bottom of the fourth before Kershaw's unexpected implosion, which included a three-run homer from Yuli Gurriel to level the scores.
Keuchel, like Kershaw a Cy Young Award winner, had failed to make it out of the bottom of the fourth inning.
Kershaw was staked a 7-4 lead in the top of the fifth thanks to a three-run blast from Cody Bellinger but he was pulled after allowing two base-runners in the bottom of the inning, both of whom scored when Jose Altuve connected for a home run off reliever Kenta Maeda.
Houston opened an 11-8 advantage in the seventh with further deep shots from George Springer and Carlos Correa - both off Dodgers reliever Brandon Morrow - and they remained three runs up heading into the ninth inning.
But a home run from Yasiel Puig and a run-scoring single from Chris Taylor ensured the capacity crowd at Minute Maid Park would be treated to some extra entertainment.
And the majority went home happy when Alex Bregman plated Derek Fisher for the winning run in the bottom of the 10th to secure victory and put the 2017 Astros on the brink of franchise history.
