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Astros defeat Dodgers, 7-6, to even World Series at one game each

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Oct. 26, 2017, 11:31 a.m.

Game 2 sets World Series records for combined home runs, extra-inning home runs

For as long as the bats were silent in Game 2 of the World Series on Wednesday night, once they awoke, the home runs kept on coming.

They came one-by-one and they came in clusters. All told, the ball landed in the Dodger Stadium bleachers eight times. The Astros hit four home runs. The Dodgers hit four home runs.

The Astros won 7-6 in 11 innings, the Dodgers lost and fans were treated to a historic back-and-forth game.

The combined eight home runs are the most in a World Series game, bettering the seven home runs that the Oakland A’s and San Francisco Giants combined for in Game 3 of the 1989 World Series.

Most combined home runs in a single World Series game

Home Runs In GameOccurrencesLast occurrence
Home Runs In Game8*Occurrences1Last occurrenceAstros at Dodgers (2017)
Home Runs In Game7Occurrences1Last occurrenceOakland at San Francisco (1989)
Home Runs In Game6Occurrences8Last occurrenceTexas at St. Louis (2011)
Home Runs In Game5Occurrences12Last occurrenceSan Francisco at Anaheim (2002)
Home Runs In Game4Occurrences38Last occurrenceChicago at Cleveland (2016)
Home Runs In Game3Occurrences57Last occurrenceAstros at Dodgers (2017)
Home Runs In Game2Occurrences136Last occurrenceCleveland at Chicago (2016)
Home Runs In Game1Occurrences192Last occurrence--

* Five came in extra innings. Baseball-reference.com data dates back to 1903.

Source: baseball-reference.com

Houston and the Dodgers combined to hit five home runs in the 10th and 11th innings, which means nearly a quarter of all World Series home runs in extra innings since 1914 came in Game 2.

The home runs from Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa in the 10th inning were the first back-to-back World Series home runs to come in extra innings.

Oct. 25, 2017, 10:39 p.m.

Erwin Portillo feels the ups and downs of a crazy Game 2

The mood swings in the Gold Room are likely to require long-term therapy.

At least for Erwin Portillo.

He was 5 when he came to Los Angeles from Honduras. The year was 1988, the month was August. And Dodgers were everywhere.

“You don’t know much English, but you know the Dodgers are in the World Series,” he said of the time. “Everyone played stickball, everyone wore Dodger blue or some Michael Jackson gear.”

Sitting on a stool at the Sunset Boulevard bar, Portillo felt the peaks and valleys and repeated heart attacks of Game 2.

When Kenley Jansen gave up the lead, he screamed.

“We are going to seven games,” he said with confidence.

He questioned Dave Roberts calling in the closer in the eighth.

“A six-out save, WTF?” he texted a friend.

When Yasiel Puig hit a home run to bring the Dodgers close, he leaped from his seat.

“They did say this would be one of the most exciting World Series ever,” he said after he collected his breath.

When Enrique Hernandez came to bat with Logan Forsythe on, he screamed again. He turned his cap inside out to lure a comeback out of the ether.

“Hit that ... to Puerto Rico,” he said.

Hernandez did not cross a body of water but did hit a ball to right field. And that was enough to drive Portillo and the rest of the bar mad.

“I really can’t believe the rally cap worked,” he said. “It’s never worked before.”

He screamed and slapped any hands that crossed his path.

But the pendulum swung the other way when the Astros answered with a single and a home run.

The bar was quiet. Portillo looked glum.

“At least we got to Verlander,” he said. “You say Verlander versus Rich Hill, and I think we lose. At least we got to the bullpen.”

After Puig struck out to end the game, the crowd went silent.

Portillo said he would back Friday for Game 3, confident Yu Darvish and Alex Wood could provide wins on the road.


Oct. 25, 2017, 9:51 p.m.

Astros take a wild Game 2 over Dodgers to even series

Astros shortstop Carlos Correa greets teammate Marwin Gonzalez after he hit a solo home run off Kenley Jansen. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Astros shortstop Carlos Correa greets teammate Marwin Gonzalez after he hit a solo home run off Kenley Jansen. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

The result could not be considered unthinkable, because October baseball expands the realm of possibility and exposes the soul to untold anguish. The Dodgers had avoided this fate for so much of these playoffs. They were the team who broke hearts, who snuffed out dreams. Except until this week, they had not stared down an opponent like the Houston Astros.

On Wednesday evening, in the final innings of Game 2 of the World Series, the veneer of invincibility surrounding the Dodgers bullpen shattered beneath the might of Houston’s offense in a 7-6 defeat that tied this series at one victory each. Kenley Jansen blew a save by yielding a solo homer in the ninth. Josh Fields yielded two more in the 10th. After scoring two runs in the bottom of the 10th, the Dodgers turned to Brandon McCarthy for the 11th.

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Oct. 25, 2017, 9:37 p.m.

Astros win 7-6

Bottom of the 11th. Chris Devenski still pitching.

Corey Seager flied to center.

Justin Turner lined to third.

Charlie Culberson homered to left. Astros 7, Dodgers 6.

Yasiel Puig struck out swinging.

Astros win 7-6.

Oct. 25, 2017, 9:17 p.m.

George Springer’s homer gives Astros a 7-5 lead in top of 11th

Top of the 11th. Brandon McCarthy pitching. Charlie Culberson in at left. Enrique Hernandez moves to center. The Dodgers are out of position players.

Cameron Maybin singled to center.

With George Springer batting, Maybin stole second.

Springer homered to right-center, Astros lead 7-5.

Alex Bregman fouled to first.

Jose Altuve grounded up the middle. Austin Barnes made the play and threw wide, but Logan Forsythe made the tag.

Carlos Correa grounded to short.

Astros 7, Dodgers 5.

Oct. 25, 2017, 8:55 p.m.

Dodgers bullpen gives up rare runs

Atlas shrugged.

The Dodgers bullpen, which has been so good this season, unraveled in Game 2 of the World Series on Wednesday, giving up four runs in three innings. Two came on back-to-back homers by Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa in the 10th inning, giving the Houston Astros a 5-3 lead to break a tie.

The runs came off Josh Fields, who had allowed just one hit in three previous playoff appearances. But Fields would never have entered the game if closer Kenley Jansen had been able to do his job.

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FOR THE RECORD, 9:55 p.m.: A previous version of this post said home runs by Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa in the 10th inning gave the Astros a 5-3 win. The homers gave the Astros the lead, but the Dodgers scored two runs in the bottom of the 10th to send the game to an 11th inning.
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Instead the Dodgers wound up emptying their bullpen.

Jansen, who had been near-perfect in the postseason, was asked to get a six-out save, only to stumble, giving up a run-scoring single to Correa in the eighth and a game-tying home run to Marwin Gonzalez leading off the ninth.

Coming in, Jansen had allowed two hits and struck out 13 in nine postseason innings. And the rest of the bullpen was keeping pace, pitching 28 scoreless innings between Game 2 of the National League Division Series and the eighth inning Wednesday.

The four earned runs the relievers gave up after that was one more than they had given up in the rest of the postseason combined, more than doubling the bullpen ERA to 1.72.

Oct. 25, 2017, 8:53 p.m.

Enrique Hernandez ties score with single, 5-5 in 10th inning

Bottom of the 10th.

Yasiel Puig homered to left. 5-4 Astros.

Yasmani Grandal strikes out swinging.

Austin Barnes struck out swinging.

Logan Forsythe walked.

Enrique Hernandez singles to right, scoring Forsythe to tie the game. And the crowd goes crazy!

And that’s it for Ken Giles. Chris Devenski comes in to pitch. Cameron Maybin in at center field.

He immediately tried to pick Hernandez off second, but the ball hit the umpire.

Chris Taylor flied to center.

Dodgers 5, Astros 5. We go to the 11th inning.


Oct. 25, 2017, 8:41 p.m.

These Elysian Valley friends continue to gather for Dodgers games

Friends Rick Ortiz, left, Ricardo Jaquez and Marco Villa cheer in the Gold Room during Game 2. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times)
Friends Rick Ortiz, left, Ricardo Jaquez and Marco Villa cheer in the Gold Room during Game 2. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times)

Ricardo Jaquez grew up in Frogtown, back when it was called Elysian Valley.

He and his pals would ride their bikes up the hill, through Echo Park to Dodger Stadium and pay $3 to sit in the left field pavilion for games.

When Kirk Gibson hit his famous home run, Jaquez was sitting on the floor of his grandmother’s living room at her home on Benedict Street near the Los Angeles River, watching on her big wooden television.

Over the years he collected autographs from Tommy Lasorda, Orel Hershiser and Mike Piazza, the latter a week before he was traded.

That jersey is sitting at his home in Ft. Hood, Texas, along with four seats from Dodger Stadium he bought online when they renovated the place.

The 38-year-old left Los Angeles to enlist in the U.S. Army and works in the corporate office of a brake check firm near Ft. Hood. But he comes to opening day every year to meet up with his friends from Elysian Valley, which sits along the Los Angeles River basin directly below the hills of Elysian Park.

He got seats in the loge section for World Series Game 1 and lost his voice as he yelled through the night.

“Best day of my life,” he said. “The stadium was electric. I had goosebumps for four hours after.”

Standing inside the Gold Room on Sunset Boulevard on Wednesday night, even his hoarse voice didn’t stop him from erupting in cheers as Joc Pederson and Corey Seager hit home runs in the fifth and sixth innings, respectively.

He and his crew from the old neighborhood high-fived and leaped into each other’s arms as the Dodgers took the lead.

His childhood friend, 34-year-old Janelle Marin, likens their gatherings for Dodgers games to family reunions.

They all share memories of the neighborhood that are tied to Dodger Stadium.

“We’d take a hike up the hill, and it’d be like going on a mission,” she said.

“Now I’ll take an Uber,” her older sister, Melissa, said with a laugh.

“It is so special, because people would come from all over L.A. to see the Dodgers,” Janelle said, “but for us it was home.”

The crew of friends hugged as the night went on and recalled childhood memories as Jaquez tried to convince the crew to come to Texas for the next few games.

But that’s all in the future.

The immediate needs were all that consumes them: The Dodgers need to score a run in the bottom of the ninth after the Astros tied the score, 3-3, in the eighth inning.

Then Jaquez needs to get some sleep and grab a sausage, egg and chili cheeseburger at Tommy’s before he catches his plane home.


Oct. 25, 2017, 8:38 p.m.

Astros take 5-3 lead on homers by Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa

Top of the 10th. Josh Fields now pitching.

Jose Altuve homered to left-center, giving the Astros a 4-3 lead.

Carlos Correa then homered to even deeper left. Astros 5, Dodgers 3.

Yuli Gurriel then doubled to left-center.

And that’s it for Fields. Nice outing.

Tony Cingrani now pitching. Yasmani Grandal at catcher. Logan Forsythe moves to first.

Brian McCann flied to center.

Marwin Gonzalez was walked intentionally.

Josh Reddick grounded into a 1-6-3 double play.

Astros 5, Dodgers 3.

Oct. 25, 2017, 8:34 p.m.

Dodgers don’t score; we go to extra innings

Bottom of the ninth. Ken Giles pitching for the Astros.

Corey Seager struck out swinging.

Justin Turner grounded to short.

Cody Bellinger flied to deep right.

Dodgers 3, Astros 3. We go to extra innings.

Oct. 25, 2017, 8:18 p.m.

Marwin Gonzalez homers to left to tie score in top of the ninth

Bottom of the ninth. Kenley Jansen pitching.

Marwin Gonzalez homered to left-center, tying the score.

Josh Reddick popped to first.

Carlos Beltran, batting for Joe Musgrove, flied to center.

George Springer doubled down the left-field line.

Two out, man on second.

Alex Bregman grounded to short.

Dodgers 3, Astros 3.

Oct. 25, 2017, 8:14 p.m.

Dodgers go in order in bottom of the eighth

Bottom of the eighth. Joe Musgrove pitching.

Chase Utley flied to left.

Enrique Hernandez grounded sharply to short.

Chris Taylor flied to left.

Dodgers 3, Astros 2.

Oct. 25, 2017, 7:56 p.m.

Astros score a run in top of the eighth, trail 3-2

Top of the eighth. Brandon Morrow still pitching.

Alex Bregman hit a slicer down the right-field line that tipped off Yasiel Puig’s glove and into the stands for a ground-rule double. Puig is furious with himself, but most outfielders wouldn’t have even touched the ball.

And that’s it for Brandon Morrow. Here comes Kenley Jansen for a six-out save. With a day off tomorrow, Jansen can pitch two innings today.

Jose Altuve grounded to second, Bregman taking third.

Carlos Correa singles to center. 3-2 Dodgers.

Yuli Gurriel fouled to first. Two out.

Brian McCann struck out swinging.

Dodgers 3, Astros 2

Oct. 25, 2017, 7:51 p.m.

Dodgers lead 3-1 after seven innings

Bottom of the seventh.

Will Harris pitching for the Astros.

Cody Bellinger grounded to short. Carlos Correa threw to first but Yuli Gurriel dropped the ball. They gave the error to Correa, but it should have gone to Gurriel.

With Yasiel Puig up, Bellinger took second on a wild pitch.

Puig grounded to short, with the ball being hit slowly enough for Bellinger to advance to third.

Joc Pederson struck out swinging.

Austin Barnes struck out swinging. It would have been nice to get an insurance run in.

Oct. 25, 2017, 7:40 p.m.

Watch Corey Seager hit his two-run home run

Oct. 25, 2017, 7:32 p.m.

Dodgers are six outs away from taking 2-0 lead in World Series

Top of the seventh. Ross Stripling pitching.

Marwin Gonzalez walked.

And that’s it for Ross Stripling. Brandon Morrow is coming in to pitch.

Josh Reddick grounded into a 5-6-3 double play.

Evan Gattis, batting for Justin Verlander, hit a hard hopper down the third-base line. Justin Turner made a great play but couldn’t throw him out.

George Springer grounded into a 6-4-3 double play.

Oct. 25, 2017, 7:31 p.m.

Watch Dodgers fans react to Corey Seager’s homer

Oct. 25, 2017, 7:27 p.m.

Watch Clayton Kershaw react to Corey Seager’s homer


Oct. 25, 2017, 7:19 p.m.

Dodgers take 3-1 lead on Corey Seager’s homer

Bottom of the sixth.

Chase Utley flied to center.

Andre Ethier, batting for Tony Watson, flied to center.

Chris Taylor walked.

Corey Seager HOMERS TO LEFT! Dodgers lead 3-1.

Justin Turner popped to second.

Dodgers 3, Astros 1.

Oct. 25, 2017, 7:11 p.m.

Watch Joc Pederson’s World Series Game 2 home run

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