EPIC: There are no words for the best game in WS history

I have no words, so you get to write today’s blog. There has been no other World Series game like the 2017 Game 5.

Epic. Classic. Legendary.

Tell me your story. It is now part of Houston-lore!

  • Where did you watch the game?
  • Who was there with you?
  • How many times did you give up on the Astros?
  • Who was the hero for Houston? Yeah, you have to pick one!
  • What was A.J. Hinch’s best move?
  • What was Hinch’s worst move?
  • Biggest surprise in the game?
  • Did you go to work on Monday?
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39 responses to “EPIC: There are no words for the best game in WS history”

  2. Sorry, Chip. After that game most would-be Chipalatta posters are either in straight-jackets, passed out in bars, or coding in Cardiac Care ICUs. it’s just a good thing Bregman managed to convert the extra-point on that last Astro’s touchdown!

    My kingdom for someone in an Orange uni who can still pitch!

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  3. The worst move Hinch made was taking out McCann and putting Fisher in as a pinch runner. There was two out and it would take a single by Bregman to win the game. What are the percent chances of that happening. Dumb, Dumb, Dumb. (Please see my comment toward the end of the Game Blog)

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  4. I watched the game about 5000 miles east of LA. Frighteningly, island power went off early in the evening, coming back on just before game time, but without cable TV or internet. The iPhone provided a hotspot for the ipad. My island phone company roaming charges will be significant.

    Royale the dog was with me, slept through all 5 hours and 18 minutes.

    I almost weakened and unplugged when we went down by 4, but Yuli quickly awakened me from my foolish, misguided selfishness.

    Yuli gets the award. He kept me from going to bed. He also overcame the pile of crap hyped by sports writers who apparently could not find any remarkable baseball to write about.

    Best move by A.J. Hinch? Thankfully, he had a good move. That was running Fisher for McCann, but what if George had gapped a double and McCann had not scored from first? So even that delayed move was watered down. I guess the other good move was in pulling Keuchel. But that had to be done.

    I’m not going to focus on his bad moves. We won.

    Biggest surprise? The Keuchel Kershaw match up resulted in 25 runs being scored.

    I run a small hotel. I was up at 6, (5 Houston time) and here at seven. I have a great little Nespresso machine handy. All is good in the world today.

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  5. At this point, if the Astros don’t win in the bottom of the 22nd inning in game 7 with a walk-off grand slam by Dallas Keuchel after he pitched six innings in relief, I’ll be disappointed.

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  6. There has never been anything like this game. Game 2? Child’s play. This was Game 2 on steroids.
    Right after the Astros got down 3-0 right out of the gate I commented – “Have to stick with this team – when things look darkest they surprise us.”
    We had just driven back from the Hill Country and were pretty crashed. My wife, who is very sweet and supportive, but not a baseball fan, crashed and burned to bed early. My youngest son who is at home, is also not a fan, but stuck around for a lot of the game and kept me company. I texted constantly with my oldest son up in Buda who is crazed like me for most of the game.

    I’m not going to criticize Hinch – I mean what do you do when you call the fire department and their hoses are filled with gasoline instead of water? Maybe he could have stayed longer with McHugh who threw a ton of pitches or Peacock, who was gutting it out without a workable slider.

    I almost went to bed after the 9th inning, not because I had given up, but my body was giving out – I did my best Peacock imitation and gutted out one more inning, plus I watched the Bregman mini-interview after the game before I went to bed. Bregman talked about how the infielders gathered together when the team was down 4-0 and just said – what do we have to lose, let’s have fun. let’s play loose. And that is what they did. Maybe they should bring in Giles, Harris and Devo to that conversation next time.

    Maybe Hinch needs to go get his bullpen drunk before game 6 or since they are in California maybe he can get some of that medicinal weed to relax them….
    Anyways – I think Hinch has Verlander on a pitch count tomorrow night….I think the count is 175 pitches….

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    • To be fair Game 6 of the 2011 WS was like this one …

      I watched all of that one from start to finish, cheering on my favourite ever player Lance Berkman.

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  7. Quick answers:

    I’m in the UK so the game started at midnight UK time. I didn’t watch this one (although I did watch the 9th inning meltdown the other day).

    Just me and the boys here were asleep.

    I restlessly got up at 01:30 just in time to see DK give up the fourth run. At that moment I gave up. I woke up at 06:30 and couldn’t get MLB app to work … and then my son came up and told me he watched the end of the game live on the telly!

    The Astros hero has to ge Gurriel, to get them back in the game.

    Best move by Hinch was pinch running for McCann (or else it was not using Giles)

    Worst move was leaving Devo in during the 9th (with hindsight). As I didn’t watch it live I can’t really comment on the worst move as it happened. Perhaps not staying with Peacock?

    Biggest surprise was that we scored 4 off of Kershaw. Although I did have some weird dreams about beating him up, and the Astros winning on a walkoff. At least I think I did …

    Yes I’m at work on Monday 😉

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  8. I have to ask this question. Does anybody still want to include Bregman in a trade for Chris Sale? 🙂

    Also, I wish to extend my sincerest gratitude to Brady Aiken and Casey Close for making last night possible. Without them we would not be here and we should all be grateful.

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    • From Altuve’s accent talking about the “Jankees,” and then last night hearing Big Papi talk about Bregman, “hey, this kid eees a stud, leg me tell ju.”

      It’s been fun watching Bregman’s maturation. Correa Altuve in the press conference said there’s nobody more confident, and they knew he’d get the job done. They knew it!

      The guy I’m worried about is Reddick. He’s really pressing to be a contributor. But just like the Dodgers, there’s so much talent that when one of the guys like Bellinger or Seager slumps, there’s always a pick-me-up. I’d still like to see Josh get his!!

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      • I thought it was pretty classless for the LA fans to boo Reddick in games 1 and 2. It just goes to show their baseball IQ though. I do worry, but he’s looked this way at times in the past and broken through with some big hits this year. Hopefully he can get one or two tomorrow.

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  9. I need a vacation watched all 5+ hours in our bedroom, the wife and I screaming and pacing and 2 little dogs that never woke up once.
    The best gutsy, are you kidding me move, having faith that Bregman would drive in DF with one pitch, amazing.

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    • Another thing from the Bregman interview – coaches and other players talked to him about hitting against Jansen. Since he hit a HR Saturday against Jansen on a slider, he knew he was not going to get another slider – they told him to be ready for the cutter and make sure he “got on top of it” – fun stuff to hear how they work together

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  13. In a game with 25 runs allowed, is it surprising that managers would both lose challenges on plays where runs scored?
    Do the managers realize that all the pitchers are broken and they have to stand out there on the mound and watch their bad pitches being repeated over and over on a giant screen during a stupid review is not a good thing?
    Analytics are working better for batters than they are for pitchers.
    The two teams combined to use 14 pitchers, 7 for each side. The only pitcher who pitched at least one full inning in this game and did not give up a run was Joe Musgrove, the winning pitcher.
    A coach goes out to the mound for a meeting with his pitcher and everyone gathers to hear his wisdom and advice. He goes back to the dugout and his pitcher gives up the walk-off hit on the first pitch.
    Derek Fisher looked like Richard Petty rounding turn 4 at Daytona on the final lap. He was flying.
    Ironically, the left fielder who made a terrible throw to home on the walk-off was Ethier, a late inning replacement in LF. Every move is magnified in the World Series.
    I had a pillow in front of my face for the last two Dodgers’ batters in the top of the tenth. I absolutely could not bear watching the carnage.
    I had no problem watching the TV in the bottom of the tenth.
    Luke Gregerson came into the game in a crucial spot and struck out Chris Taylor, to keep the Dodgers from extending their lead. Even then, his wild pitch added to the tension.

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    • I thought about that last night, oldpro. If the Dodgers had left Pederson in LF we probably don’t score that run. Ethier made a good throw, but he doesn’t have any arm strength and it was late.

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  14. ill repeat what I said on the previous blog. best World Series I have ever watched!!! watched at home with just me (everyone else worried about getting to work Monday) I do not give up ever, as long as you have an out left there is a chance. everybody on the team is a hero at this point (even Giles). best move is a tie, pulling keuchel before it got worse, and not pitching Giles. biggest surprise was beating Kershaw after giving him a 4 run lead.

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  15. I watched the whole game and am working today. I think everyone is starting to appreciate Bregman I think that we’ll start to see the best of him next season. I hope Verlander gives us a complete game tomorrow.

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  17. The first 1.5 hours of the game I was deep in the woods following a blood trail made by a buck. I cannot say enough about how having an 11 year old girl with a nimble frame, eyes like a hawk and a desire to do something most girls won’t even try can help in following a trail made in fallen pecan leaves. My Daughter-in-law made a great shot with a muzzle loader and her daughter was helping four of us adults find it. The buck only ran about a hundred yards but, in the briars, it was a long hunt.
    I never got to watch the first four innings, but I did get to watch the last twenty innings, or however many it lasted. Went to bed at 2:15, exhausted and happy.
    Tonight, Mrs.1OP will be frying chicken. OMG, does life get any better than this!

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  18. At the house watching on YouTubeTV, I had to endure the ups and downs by myself as my son is not a sports fan. I guess it worked out because all of the sports bars were probably closed shortly after midnight and the game wasn’t over here until after 1:00AM. I didn’t give up but had to walk away a few times when we couldn’t hold down the Dodger bats. I’ll have to give the nod to Bregman as he has been the most consist player at the plate (a tie with Yuli) but his “D” has been super. Best for Hinch was running for Fisher for McCann. Worst was pulling McHugh too soon. Also curious how soon McHugh had to get ready. Suprise! We not only came back thrice but on the down side, losing the lead in the 9th. No didn’t work as I’m semi-retired but had two phone calls way too early since it was after 2:00 when I went to bed.
    BUT IT WAS WELL WORTH IT!

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  19. Dan, I know you think I’m a stolen glass kinda girl, but last Friday I talked to HR who in turn talked to management and got a Go Astros banner put up outside our office building. Do I get any cred for that?

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  20. I watched alone from the couch after everyone else went to bed. I will never admit to giving up, but I was concerned there would be no comeback before the Astros even came to bat in the 1st. Yuli narrowly edges out Altuve on the hero front. If he doesn’t hit the first 3 run HR off Kershaw, we probably don’t get to see Altuve with a chance to hit the 3 run HR off Maeda later. Best move: putting in Devenski (see below). Worst move: the defensive positioning. Surprise: the Springer dinger. Did I go to work? Yes. I watched about 30 minutes of postgame stuff, went to bed, and got up 4 hours later to fix my kids breakfast before school. I’ve been slogging through the day at work since. I’m hoping Verlander can end it tomorrow night so I don’t have to do two more of these.

    I think Hinch went with the best option in Devenski. He bailed Harris out. The ninth was rough. I blame the baseballs for some of this. I blame our ballpark for the Puig HR. Finally, I don’t understand why they had Springer playing right-center with Barnes up. They should have been in a NO DOUBLES alignment which puts Springer deep, but straight up the middle. Instead, he runs a long way and a routine single became a hustling double with 1 out in the ninth. Putting the shift on for Ethier seemed to be another poor choice.

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  21. In other baseball news, the Phllies “Welcome Back Kotter” as their new manager. Rumor says John Travolta to be the bench coach. And finally to borrow from Rozanne Rosanadana, “Never Mind.”

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  23. Hero for Houston: Alex Bregman. But I’m combining that with previous defensive play. The other night, when he bobbled the ball and still got it to first in time, he ducked his head down so camera wouldn’t see him go “Whew!”……that’s how much he’s thinking all the time. He has almost miraculous throws to home to stop the opposition and then last night he gets the walkoff. And to be called a stud by Altuve you got it going on. Yes, I adore Altuve, Correa, Springer and really the team as a whole. Bregman is intense and smart.

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  24. I watched at home with my husband. He actually sat and watched the game. After the Dodgers got the 4 runs I split my time between the living room ( where the tv is) and the study. I had my tv on some recorded shows but actually spent the most of my time checking my At Bat App.
    I had flipped back to Fox just as Gurriel hit the HR.
    I raced back to the living room ( where my husband was dozing, yes he was actually sleeping. ) screaming, we’re tied!!
    The rest of the game I paced back and forth, my heart pounding.
    Such an up and down roller coaster. I was exhausted when it was over but I couldn’t sleep.
    I gave up every time LA tied it but I couldn’t stop checking back.
    Bregman, after all he got the winning run home.
    Worst move, taking out McHugh to soon. Best move, not using Giles.
    My biggest surprise was Gurriel’s HR off Kershaw.
    Thankfully I don’t work any more. I did think of all the folks that did have to go to work though. Bet it was a rough day for a lot of people.
    This team is so much fun to watch when they just relax and have fun.

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  25. Let me take you back to 2005. I saved every single sports page beginning from the division title to the last day of that World series. I would take them out of a big zip lock, every year and cry because that was our only few weeks of national relevance. This year I started saving them from the first day after we traded for Verlander, and every single day since. These sports pages mean so much to me, because once again our guys are in the spotlight! When I die someone will come across them and wonder why I kept them. I’m gonna write a note in both of these plastic containers and let whoever finds them why I kept them…….I kept them because I am a fierce Astros fan. All of you know that, and so does my (I don’t like baseball) busband! I left the room several times last night, my nerves were just about SHOT! I went to my bedroom to watch anything other than that game, and I asked my husband to let me know when it was over. A few minutes after I said that I heard him yell at the top of his voice that ” Becky come here right now “! I ran into the den to see the repeat of the walk off win! OMG!!! I ran around like a crazy person screaming I couldn’t BELIEVE IT!! Tomorrow is THE most important game Verlander will ever pitch in. It is literally *T H E* game for 2017……and he absolutely knows it. We wouldn’t be here talking about this team without him….AND Bregman!
    This kid came into spring training to play. PERIOD! He wasn’t here in 2015 but THIS IS HIS YEAR!! Everything had to go exactly right last night to give him the opportunity to win that game. McCann got plunked, Springer walked and Bregman came to the plate to get a hit. He knew this moment was his time to shine…..and shine he DID! NO ONE was happier than Justin Verlander! Justin wriggled through the pile of guys, to grab Bregman by the shoulder to give him a hug. I cry everytime I see it, because Verlander knows this game was won by that kid who’s gonna have his back on Tuesday night! What respect did that say to Bregman? You belong here kid, and now I know why!!
    Win or lose tomorrow night…..this was the most magical season I have ever been a part of!! GO ‘STROS!!

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  26. I got my buck tonight. A really big-bodied deer, who needed to be shot because his nine-point rack was way undersized for his weight. It is exactly the kind of deer I wanted to get out of the herd. He is finally on ice and now I can relax. Until tomorrow night! Game six!
    OK, now I’m nervous again.

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  27. Amazing. ..this time tomorrow, it’s possible we could be discussing the world champion Astros. My mind is blown. Could it be? Dare I hope? My dad is looking from heaven I know. Been gone 14 years now. I haven’t been to a game since he died. Him and I met many players over the years. Some were nice (Luis Gonzalez and Scott Servais )some not (Pete harnisch, Mike simms ). Been thinking about him a lot. He would’ve loved this run. Tolerant of the Oilers, indifferent to the Rockets, the Astros were his team. And mine.

    Let’s go Astros.

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    • Billy, I lost my Dad 15 years ago and like you he and I used to watch games together on TV and for awhile when we all lived in Houston in the mid 80’s we went to see an occasional game. When he saw a bad call he used to yell at the umpire on the TV while my mother would tell them, “they can’t hear you”, to which he would respond, “I don’t care, I’m going to tell them what I think”!
      I’m hoping for an Astro’s victory tonight and he can look down, smile and say finally.

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  28. Do I understand correctly that Alex Bregman turned an unassisted triple play in his first tee-ball game at the age of 4 or 5 ?

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