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Astros defeat Dodgers 5-1 to win World Series

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Nov. 1, 2017, 11:24 p.m.

Dodgers miss Game 7 scoring opportunities

The Dodgers didn’t want for baserunners in Game 7 of the World Series and were primed with scoring chances in the first three innings.

But Los Angeles left 10 runners on base Wednesday and went 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position, which proved to be the difference in a 5-1 loss.

For the seven-game series, the Dodgers stranded 34 baserunners and hit a paltry .200 with runners in scoring position.

As you can expect, Los Angeles felt the effects the most in the close games. In the one-run, 10-inning loss in Game 5, the Dodgers stranded nine baserunners and went 5-for-16 with runners in scoring position.

Back in Game 2, a 7-6 loss in 11 innings, Los Angeles went 1-for-5 with runners on second or third.


Nov. 1, 2017, 9:42 p.m.

Astros’ Carlos Correa proposes after World Series win

 (Jae C. Hong / AP)
(Jae C. Hong / AP)

After winning the World Series, the Houston Astros will soon be sporting flashy championship rings, but it appears Carlos Correa came prepared with a ring of his own.

Moments after his team defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers to give Houston its first World Series title, the Astros shortstop got down on one knee to propose to his girlfriend.

“And right now I’m about to take another big step in my life,” Correa said while being interviewed by Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal. “Daniella Rodriguez, will you marry me?”

An emotional Rodriguez, who was Miss Texas USA in 2016, moved past a barricade to embrace and kiss Correa, who placed the ring on her finger.

She said yes.


Nov. 1, 2017, 9:30 p.m.

Astros fans ‘can’t believe it’ — their team is World Series champions


At El Tejano in North Hollywood, Astros fans cheered and jumped up and down, spilling beer on the floor. They cried, hugged and chanted “Astros” and “We did it” while Dodgers fans looked on.

“I can’t believe it,” Becca Halpin said. “Amazing. I’m so happy. I’ve got no energy left.”

As music played, people screamed out, “It just hit me, I can’t believe we won,” and, “We’re world champions.”

Standing by the bar, Cris Arias, 42, tried to take it all in.

“My heart was going crazy,” Arias said. “People didn’t expect this to go well as it did.”

“No matter what, it was a great World Series,” he added.

No one could agree more than Bao Chung, 39, who bought a ticket to Los Angeles at the last minute to watch Game 6.

“We lost, but we ended up staying,” Chung said.

He and his friend slept in their rental car and came to El Tejano in North Hollywood with other Houston fans to watch and support the team. It was his first time in Los Angeles.

“Now we gotta buy a ticket home,” he said.


Nov. 1, 2017, 9:26 p.m.

Dodgers fans are downtrodden after Game 7 loss

Astros players begin to celebrate after recording the final out in Game 7. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Astros players begin to celebrate after recording the final out in Game 7. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

As the Astros rushed onto the field after the final out, Eric Beltran, 33, stood in stunned silence, staring straight ahead from the loge section at Dodger Stadium, where he’d bought standing-room-only tickets.

“It’s depressing to watch the other team celebrate on your own field,” he said. He thought the Dodgers would at least have “some fight” in them.

“It wasn’t even exciting for us,” he said of the game.

The only chance he was able to cheer was the single run scored when Andre Ethier singled during the sixth inning.

Carlos Padilla, 23, of Loma Linda, felt confident coming into the game and was just sad throughout.

“I felt like we didn’t have a chance after Yu Darvish blew the lead,” he said.

This loss hurt, and it’s going to keep hurting for a while.

Dodgers fans quickly made for the exits. Coming up the stairs near Padilla, one woman had tears in her eyes.

Nov. 1, 2017, 9:00 p.m.

Astros top Dodgers 5-1 to win World Series

Bottom of the ninth.

Chase Utley, batting for the pitcher, struck out swinging.

Chris Taylor grounded to second.

Corey Seager grounded to second.

Congratulations to the Houston Astros, World Series champions.

Nov. 1, 2017, 8:57 p.m.

These Astros fans in North Hollywood are ready to celebrate


Inside El Tejano, a Tex-Mex restaurant in North Hollywood, more than two dozen Astros fans gathered to watch and cheer for their team.

Surrounded by a sea of Dodger blue, the group occasionally cheered and clapped as they watched their team take the lead in the do-or-die game. They celebrated each time their team prevented the Dodgers from scoring or for one of their favorite players, but they made sure they didn’t celebrate too much.

“We know we’re in enemy territory,” said Ian Willoughby, 36.

Every now and then, L.A. fans responded with “Let’s go, Dodgers,” or the names of players.

These Astros fans are members of the L.A. Houston Sports Fans, a Facebook page devoted to, well, Houston sport teams.

Erin Salinas, 36, said the group formed three years ago to bring Houston fans together in Los Angeles and has been growing since. She became the core organizer for the group last year.

“Coming from Houston, seeing another fan you didn’t know about is like finding home,” Salinas said.

Becca Halpin, a 36-year-old event planner, discovered the group for Sunday’s wild game in Houston.

“It’s better than being at home yelling at the television,” Halpin said.

During the top of fifth inning, Halpin said she’s hoping for the obvious — the Astros to win the World Series.

“This year with the Harvey devastation, we need this,” Halpin said about the hurricane. “It’s about bringing a little bit of joy.”

Leading by five runs, Halpin said it was still too early to celebrate.

Petting the group’s mascot, Artemis, Josh McClain, a 25-year-old who was wearing a George Springer jersey, said he’s not going to be celebrating until the game is officially over.

McClain said he put his worries aside when the Astros won Game 5 and is hoping the team will win.

“It’s been great a World Series,” he said.

As the game continued, the group appeared shocked when the Dodgers scored a run. But by the bottom of the eighth there were only smiles with the Astros leading 5-1. Their team was just three outs from being World Series champions.

Willoughby said winning would be “everything.”

“It’s 36 years of watching us come close,” he added. “We need this.”

Nov. 1, 2017, 8:52 p.m.

Astros don’t score in top of ninth

Top of the ninth.

Charlie Morton struck out looking.

Cameron Maybin struck out looking.

George Springer flied to center.

Nov. 1, 2017, 8:46 p.m.

Dodgers are down to their last three outs

Bottom of the eighth.

Joc Pederson struck out swinging.

Logan Forsythe flied to right.

Austin Barnes flied to center.

Nov. 1, 2017, 8:37 p.m.

Astros don’t score in top of eighth

Top of the eighth. Alex Wood is now pitching.

Yuli Gurriel flied to center.

Brian McCann struck out looking.

Marwin Gonzalez grounded to third.


Nov. 1, 2017, 8:36 p.m.

Disheartened Dodgers fans hope for a late-inning comeback

Andre Ethier follows through on a run-scoring single during the sixth inning of Game 7. (Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)
Andre Ethier follows through on a run-scoring single during the sixth inning of Game 7. (Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)

John Mann, 54, of Thousand Oaks clutched a michelada at Dodger Stadium and shook his head angrily about the Dodgers trailing 5-0 in the top of the sixth inning.

He stood with Julio Gomez, 38, of Oxnard on the loge level on the third-base side.

“We’re bummed out,” Mann said.

“Brutal,” Gomez said. “It’s gonna be a sad day in L.A. tomorrow. We’ve been waiting too long for this moment.”

“It’s gonna suck,” he added. “At least make a game out of it.”

Both men have been fans since they were children.

“We’re let down,” Mann said. “If it was me personally, I would have started Kershaw and not Darvish. They killed him in his first game.”

“Wait till next year,” he said. People always say it. Mann said it bitterly.

“It hurts,” he said.

Still, both men said, they’d be back next year.

On the field level, Alex Soltero, 41, of Los Angeles wore a Dodger blue sombrero and poncho. Despite the Dodgers trailing 5-0 in the bottom of the sixth, he has a shred of confidence that they’d figure things out over the next few innings.

“I’m OK,” he said. “I have faith in our Dodgers.”

The game wasn’t going how he thought it would, but ”you can never let go of your faith.”

Tony Avila, 44, of Los Angeles, who was wearing a sombrero and poncho, also refused to believe his team could actually lose.

“This is the Dodgers’ hometown. The Dodgers are going to win in the ninth inning.”

Near them, Omar Portillo, 30, of Rosemead was devastated.

“I’m heartbroken,” he said. “I worked very hard to come to this game, to pay for these tickets.”

Portillo works as a valet at a Santa Monica hotel and had put in a lot of extra hours to come to the game with his wife.

“I feel like you have to have luck on your side, and I think the Astros have luck on their side.”

He spent the game screaming his lungs out. He was surrounded by more optimistic people, but he didn’t care. He was sad and disappointed.

“I’ll probably be heartbroken for the next two months.”

Still, he’s glad he came. The pain will eventually cede to his being glad he saw something historic.

“It’s a lifetime experience,” he said, sighing.

When the Dodgers scored one in the bottom of the sixth on an Andre Ethier single, fans exploded, screaming as if they’d won the game. They at least weren’t going to see the Dodgers go scoreless.

“We got on the board, baby!” one man screamed.

Nov. 1, 2017, 8:28 p.m.

Dodgers go down quietly in bottom of seventh

Bottom of the seventh.

Justin Turner popped to first.

Cody Bellinger struck out looking.

Yasiel Puig grounded to short.

Nov. 1, 2017, 8:19 p.m.

Astros don’t score in top of the seventh

Top of the seventh. Kenley Jansen pitching.

George Springer flied to left-center. Chris Taylor made a running and sliding catch.

Alex Bregman struck out swinging.

Jose Altuve walked.

With Carlos Correa batting, Altuve stole second. Correa popped to short.

Nov. 1, 2017, 8:02 p.m.

Dodgers close to 5-1 in bottom of sixth

Bottom of the sixth. Charlie Morton now pitching.

Joc Pederson singled to center.

Logan Forsythe walked.

Austin Barnes popped to short.

Andre Ethier, batting for Clayton Kershaw, singled to right, scoring Pederson.

Chris Taylor struck out swinging.

Corey Seager grounded to short.

Nov. 1, 2017, 7:30 p.m.

It’s ‘stressful’ at the Down and Out, but there’s ‘still a lot of baseball to play’


Nate Joyner has two words to describe Game 7: extremely stressful.

As he took a break from bartending at the Down and Out in downtown L.A., Joyner said that the five-run deficit has been infuriating to watch but that he’s “still not afraid.”

“There’s still a lot of baseball to play,” the 41-year-old said as Justin Turner came up to bat in the bottom of the fifth inning. “Every game we’ve blown up in the sixth.”

“That’s the way I like to hear you talk!” a bar patron shouted as he walked past.

Joyner said he has been a Dodgers fan for 20 years since moving to Los Angeles from Florida. He attended about 20 Dodgers games this year.

Joyner was raised a Cubs fan but officially switched when his daughter was born seven years ago, he said.

“It’s the energy of the ballpark, everything about these players,” he said. “The Ravine is my church.”

Joyner said he won’t count the Dodgers out just yet because of how “crazy” the series against the Astros has been and how “incredibly” well the team has played.

“If we don’t win tonight, it’ll ... kill me,” he said. “But I know in my heart we’re gonna get one. We are.”

Nov. 1, 2017, 7:50 p.m.

Astros leave the bases loaded in the top of the sixth

Top of the sixth.

Carlos Correa singled to left.

Yuli Gurriel grounded to the pitcher, Correa to second.

Brian McCann grounded into the shift. Logan Forsythe had to run half a mile to catch it and throw him out.

Marwin Gonzalez was walked intentionally.

Evan Gattis, batting for Josh Reddick, was also walked intentionally.

Cameron Maybin, batting for the pitcher, popped to third.

Nov. 1, 2017, 7:39 p.m.

Dodgers don’t score in bottom of fifth

Bottom of the fifth.

Chris Taylor flied to left.

Corey Seager walked.

Justin Turner grounded into the hole and off of Alex Bregman’s glove. Runners at first and second, one out.

And that’s it for Brad Peacock. Francisco Liriano coming in to pitch.

Cody Bellinger grounded to first, forcing Turner at second. First and third, two out.

And that’s it for Liriano. Chris Devenski coming in to pitch.

Yasiel Puig lined to first.


Nov. 1, 2017, 7:26 p.m.

The last time Afle Diaz says he was at Dodger Stadium: Game 5 of 1965 World Series

Anthony Diaz surprised his father, Afle, with Game 7 tickets on Tuesday night after the Dodgers won Game 6. (Hailey Branson-Potts / Los Angeles Times)
Anthony Diaz surprised his father, Afle, with Game 7 tickets on Tuesday night after the Dodgers won Game 6. (Hailey Branson-Potts / Los Angeles Times)

The last time Afle Diaz stepped foot in Dodger Stadium, he said, it was Game 5 of the 1965 World Series.

Sandy Koufax was on the mound. The Dodgers beat the Minnesota Twins 7-0.

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FOR THE RECORD, 7:45 p.m.: A previous version of this post said Diaz last was at Dodger Stadium for Game 7 of the 1965 World Series, pitched by Koufax. That game was played in Minnesota. Koufax also pitched in Game 5 in L.A., which the Dodgers won 7-0.
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Back then, Diaz was overcharged for his ticket. It was listed for $15 but was jacked up to $17 once he got to the stadium.

Fifty-two years later, he was back for Game 7 of the 2017 World Series. His son, Anthony, paid $1,500 apiece for their left-field loge-level tickets.

Diaz, a 76-year-old retired heavy machinery operator from Fontana, wore a pin that said “#1 Fan” given to him by stadium staff when they learned how long it had been for him to return here.

The stadium looks the same, he said. “It’s beautiful.”

Anthony Diaz said he surprised his father with tickets Tuesday night. He arrived at his house after the Dodgers won Game 6, and his father answered the door, screaming, “The Dodgers won!”

When Anthony, 48, told him he got tickets, he froze.

“He was speechless,” Anthony said. “He didn’t say a word.”

In the bottom of the fifth inning, with the Dodgers trailing 5-0, fans either swore loudly or sat stone-faced. Many crowded in the corridors, too anxious to sit.

Nov. 1, 2017, 7:13 p.m.

Astros go down quietly in top of fifth

Top of the fifth.

George Springer struck out swinging.

Alex Bregman struck out swinging.

Jose Altuve popped to first.

Nov. 1, 2017, 7:06 p.m.

Dodgers go down in order in bottom of fourth

Bottom of the fourth.

Logan Forsythe grounded to third.

Austin Barnes popped to third.

Clayton Kershaw struck out swinging.

Nov. 1, 2017, 6:57 p.m.

Astros don’t score again in top of fourth

Top of the fourth.

Brian McCann struck out swinging.

Marwin Gonzalez singled into the hole in short.

Gonzalez took second on a wild pitch.

Josh Reddick grounded to short.

Brad Peacock flied to center.

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