Atlanta leads series 3-1
It was so on par for the Atlanta Braves this season, to have a pitcher who had just two appearances in the major leagues in 2021 to keep them in the game for so long. They don't care how it happens, they just care that it happens. Dansby Swanson homered, Jorge Soler homered, and the Braves defeated the Astros 3-2 on Saturday night.
With the late game rally, the Braves take a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Astros, and are one win away from winning their first world series title since 1995. They've also matched both the 2017 Astros and the 2008 Philadelphia Phillies as the only teams to go 7-0 at home in the playoffs. They can create the new record by winning game 5 on Sunday.
Swanson talked about his game tying home run after the game, saying that "I cherish every moment here, whether it's now or a random day in July. So I'm just thankful to be here. But there's still a lot left to be written, and I think that we need to go out and continue to compete to put ourselves in that position to give this city what it's been longing for."
It was the Astros who scored first, when Jose Altvue scored on a ground out from Carlos Correa with the bases loaded to make it 1-0 Houston. In the 4th, after the Braves organist played "It's a small world" to mock Altuve when he stepped up to the plate, Altvue responded with a long solo home run to straightaway center field, doubling the lead and making it 2-0 Astros.
It stayed that way until the 6th inning, when Austin Riley got the Braves going, roping an RBI single to left field and advancing to second on the throw, making it a 2-1 game. In the 7th, Swanson launched the game tying solo home run to right field, tying the game 2-2 as Truist Park erupted. They stayed loud, as Soler hit a pinch hit solo home run, with the back to back homers giving the Braves a 3-2 lead.
After surprise starter Dylan Lee only recorded one out in the first, the Braves turned to Kyle Wright, who spent most of the year in Triple A. Wright responded by allowing one run on 5 hits and 3 walks, allowing baserunners, yes, but also getting the outs, providing 4 2/3 innings to bridge the gap. After that, Chris Martin, AJ Minter, Tyler Matzek, Luke Jackson, and Will Smith fired scoreless innings, with Smith getting his 6th save of the playoffs.
Wright talked about his strong appearance after the game, saying that "I've had a lot of ups and downs this year. Just to be able to get back in a position where I could help the team was definitely pretty special. My goal was just to get it to the back end, and those guys have been nails all year. Fortunately, I was able to do that, and they shut it down from there."
Cristian Javier blew his first save of the postseason and got the loss for the Astros, falling to 0-1 this postseason after allowing the homers to Swanson and Soler in the 7th. Zack Greinke got the game 4 start for the Astros, allowing no runs on 4 hits, walking no and striking out 3 hitters across 4 innings pitched. Ryne Stanek followed that up with a scoreless 5th inning. Brooks Raley, Phil Maton, and Ryan Pressly also pitched in relief.
Altuve said of the mindset of being on the brink of elimination that they "Just basically focus on one game at a time. That's it. That's pretty much what we talk about. If we win tomorrow, then try to win Game 6 and see what happens. But we've got to focus on one game, and that game is tomorrow."
The Braves can lock up the world series trophy on Sunday night as game 5 kicks off, with Tucker Davidson getting the start. The Astros will look to send this series back to Houston for game 6, with Framber Valdez getting the start with their season in the balance.
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