HOUSTON — With the chance to clinch their second World Series title in three years, the Houston Astros couldn’t close out Game 6 with their ace on the mound.
The Washington Nationals beat Justin Verlander for the second time this World Series with a 7-2 win at Minute Maid Park Tuesday night.
And so goes the series to a deciding Game 7 on Wednesday where the winner takes all of baseball’s glory.
“We’ve got a great opportunity tomorrow to play a home game—Game 7 of the World Series,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “Maybe not how we drew it up in terms of how we got there, but it doesn’t take away the opportunity we have to win the World Series.”
Verlander’s World Series struggles followed him into a seventh career start. He’s yet to win a game and has a 5.73 ERA.
The Nationals denied him that first win Tuesday night by tagging him for three runs in five innings. Verlander allowed five hits—two home runs—and struck out three and walked three.
After an Anthony Rendon RBI single in the first, the Astros spotted Verlander two runs in the bottom half of the inning on a Jose Altuve sacrifice fly and an Alex Bregman solo home run.
But the Nationals kept grinding: working deep counts and putting runners on base. Verlander worked out of a two-on, one-out jam in the fourth, but by that point he had thrown 75 pitches.
An inning later, Adam Eaton connected on a hanging slider to tie the game at 2. That same inning, Juan Soto crushed a fastball to the Crawford Boxes that gave Washington 3-2 lead.
“I think he ran out of gas at the end,” Hinch said of his ace. “He had a lot of hard innings … high-stress pitches. So it was an easy decision for me (to pull him). I thought he left it all out on the field.”
It was a lead the Nationals wouldn’t relinquish thanks in large part to their starting pitcher.
Houston couldn’t find many answers against 31-year-old right-hander Stephen Strasburg, who won his second game of the World Series.
The only real trouble Strasburg faced aside from that two-run first inning came in the fifth.
Josh Reddick singled past a shift to right field and George Springer doubled with one out. With runners in scoring position, Strasburg got Altuve to strike out on a curveball in the dirt. Michael Brantley then grounded out to second base to end the inning.
Strasburg threw 8 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on five hits and striking out seven. With the win, he joins elite company with Randy Johnson and Francisco Rodriguez as the only pitchers to win five games in a singe postseason, according to MLB Stats.
“The big pitchers in big moments do what Strasburg did today,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. “I told him after the game … ‘That was tremendous. You picked us all up and we’re going to Game 7 because of your performance.’”
The game took a strange turn in the top of the seventh inning with Washington holding on to that 3-2 lead.
Trea Turner hit what appeared to be an infield single back to the pitcher. On his way to first, Turner was hit by the ball as Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel tried to make the catch. Gurriel lost his glove and the ball went into foul territory.
Turner advanced to second while Yan Gomes went to third with no outs. But home plate umpire Sam Holbrook called Turner out for interference, sending Gomes back to first with one out. After a review by the umpires the call was confirmed. Martinez was furious.
In between innings, Martinez confronted the umpires—to the point that bench coach Tim Bogar had to restrain him. He was later ejected, becoming the first manager since Bobby Cox with the Atlanta Braves in 1996 to be thrown out during a World Series game.
At the time, the call felt like a major blow to a Nationals team trying to force a Game 7. But two batters after Turner, Anthony Rendon sent a fastball from Will Harris into the Crawford Boxes that padded Washington’s lead, 5-2.
Rendon was 3-for-4 with two doubles, a home run and 5 RBI.
Martinez declined to comment about the play after the game, only offering, “In the heat of the moment things get out of hand. I saw things differently.”
With Washington’s win, the road team has won every game for the first time in World Series history.
Houston turns to Zack Greinke in Game 7 against Washington’s Max Scherzer.
Scherzer was scratched from his start in Game 5 due to neck spasms. He said Tuesday night that the cortisone shot her received did its job and he’s ready for Wednesday. Scherzer won his lone Series start in Game 1.
Though home field hasn’t been an advantage so far in the World Series, the Astros look to change that Wednesday.
“We worked really hard to get home-field and we’re happy to play at home,” Hinch said. “This place will be rocking (Wednesday). We’ve won a ton of games in this ballpark.”
Scenes from the Game
Ninth Inning
BOTTOM 9
Final: Nationals 7, Astros 2
0 runs, 1 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on base
At Bats
Chirinos: Pops out to second base to end the game.
Correa: Doubles off the left-field wall—inches away from a home run.
Alvarez: Flies out to left-center field.
Pitching change: Sean Doolittle replaces Strasburg.
Gurriel: Ground out to second.
Strasburg is back in to pitch.
TOP 9
Well, the Nationals added two insurance runs on a Anthony Rendon double just for good measure. Looks like we’ll see a Game 7, folks.
Score: Nationals 7, Astros 2
2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 left on base
At Bats
Soto: Lines out to left field.
Rendon: Doubles off the wall in center field; Turner and Eaton score. Washington leads 7-2.
Eaton: Hit by pitch.
Turner: Doubles to right field.
Gomes: Strikes out swinging.
Robles: Lines out to left field.
Pitching change: Chris Devenski replaces Ryan Pressly.
Eighth Inning
BOTTOM 8
Strasburg is having himself a game. The 31-year-old right-hander has thrown eight innings of two-run ball, allowing five hits and striking out seven.
Score: Nationals 5, Astros 2
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 left on base
At Bats
Bregman: Pops out to third base.
Brantley: Grounds out to second.
Altuve: Grounds out to third base.
TOP 8
Reliever Ryan Pressly shuts the Nationals down in order. Houston has six outs to score three runs.
Score: Nationals 5, Astros 2
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 left on base
At Bats
Zimmerman: Strikes out looking at a 95 mph fastball that catches the bottom outside corner of the strike zone.
Cabrera: Strikes out swinging on a 81 mph curveball.
Kendrick: Grounds out to third base.
Pitching change: Ryan Pressly replaces Will Harris.
Harris’ night: 2/3 inning, 1 run (HR), 1 hit
Seventh Inning
BOTTOM 7
Whew! After all the chaos in the top half of the inning, Strasburg shuts down the Astros in order.
Score: Nationals 5, Astros 2
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 left on base
At Bats
Springer: Flies out to right field.
Reddick: Lines out to center field.
Chrinios: Strikes out looking.
TOP 7
Update: Manager Dave Martinez was thrown out. He's the first manager ejected from a World Series game since Bobby Cox with the Atlanta Braves in 1996.
Where to start with this inning? Trea Turner was called out on a questionable interference called that took the umpires a lifetime to figure out. It was a call that took away two runners in scoring position with no outs to a man at first with one out. Washington manager Dave Martinez was furious. Ultimately it didn’t matter much as Anthony Rendon crushed a two-run shot into the Crawford Boxes to give Washington a 5-2 lead.
Score: Nationals 5, Astros 2
2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 left on base
At Bats
Soto: Lines out to first base to end the inning.
Rendon: Home run! Rendon jacks as shot to the Crawford Boxes. Washington leads 5-2.
Eaton: Pops out to third base.
Pitching change: Will Harris replaces Brad Peacock.
Turner: Grounds out to the pitcher. Turner looked to be safe at first but was called out for interference as he touched the bag and hit Gurriel’s glove as Gurriel tried to make the catch. Turner advanced to second as the ball got away and Gomes went to third. Washington manager Dave Martinez is furious! Turner is furious! After a lengthy review, the umps called Turner out. Gomes goes back to first with one out.
Gomes: Singles to right field.
Sixth Inning
BOTTOM 6
The Astros can’t do anything with a leadoff single by Bregman. Strasburg has really settled into a groove since Bregman’s home run in the first.
Score: Nationals 3, Astros 2
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 left on base
At Bats
Correa: Strikes out chasing a changeup in the dirt to end the inning.
Alvarez: Grounds into a force out at second after the ball tips off Strasburg’s glove.
Gurriel: Grounds into a force out at second.
Bregman: Hits an infield single to shortstop.
TOP 6
Man, you gotta feel for Verlander. A certain future Hall of Famer with numerous accolades—Cy Young awards, a Rookie of the Year award, All-Star appearances, the most strikeouts in postseason history—but he can’t shake his World Series demons. In seven career World Series starts, he hasn’t recorded a win.
Brad Peacock comes in relief and retires the Nationals in order.
Score: Nationals 3, Astros 2
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 left on base
At Bats
Robles: Strikes out looking on a fastball out of the zone.
Zimmerman: Strikes out looking on a 93 mph fastball on the outside corner.
Cabrera: Grounds out to first.
Pitching change: Brad Peacock replaces Justin Verlander.
Verlander’s night: 5 innings, 3 hits, 5 runs, 3 strikeouts, 3 walks
Fifth Inning
BOTTOM 5
Wow! That’s something you don’t see very often: two on, one out, runners in scoring position, the heart of Houston's lineup at the plate and the Astros don’t come away with a run. Strasburg does a great job to get out of the jam. He got Altuve to chase a curveball in the dirt for a strikeout, then gets Brantley to ground out to second. As such, the Nationals hold on to their one-run lead.
Score: Nationals 3, Astros 2
0 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on base
At Bats
Brantley: Grounds out to second to end the inning.
Altuve: Strikes out on three pitches on a curveball in the dirt. What a strikeout for Strasburg there.
Springer: Doubles to left field; Reddick to third.
Reddick: Singles over the shift to right field.
Chirinos: Strikes out swinging on a curveball out of the zone.
TOP 5
The Nationals proved they’re not going away that easily. Adam Eaton and Juan Soto crushed a pair of solo home runs to take a 3-2 lead. How much longer is Hinch going to let Verlander go? He’s now thrown 93 pitches (59 strikes).
Score: Nationals 3, Astros 2
2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 left on base
At Bats
Kendrick: Flies out to in foul territory in deep right field to end the inning.
Soto: Home run! Crushes a 96 mph inside fastball to right field. Washington leads 3-2.
Rendon: Flies out to right field.
Eaton: Home run! Lines a hanging slider over the right-field wall. Washington ties game 2-2.
Turner: Pops out in foul territory.
Fourth Inning
BOTTOM 4
After two quick outs, Strasburg forgot how to throw a strike. He had a stretch where he threw eight straight balls and 10/13 pitches went for balls. But the Astros couldn’t capitalize with two on and two outs as Strasburg got Correa to chase a curveball in the dirt to end the inning.
Score: Astros 2, Washington 1
0 runs, 0 hits, 2 walks, 0 errors, 2 left on base
At Bats
Correa: Strikes out on a curveball in the dirt to end the inning.
Alvarez: Walks on four pitches.
Gurriel: Walks on five pitches.
Bregman: Pops out to first base.
Brantley: Grounds out to first base.
TOP 4
Verlander works out of another jam for the second straight inning after a leadoff single by Howie Kendrick and a one-out walk to Ryan Zimmerman. The Nationals are really making Verlander work. Through four innings, he’s tossed 75 pitches. Though he’s a proven in his career he’s a workhorse, how long with A.J. Hinch let him pitch?
From KHOU baseball analyst Jeremy Booth: “Nationals seeing pitches and making Verlander pitch out of the strike zone, with limited ability to get them to chase. Winning more at bats then you think as we get to the middle innings.”
Score: Astros 2, Washington 1
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 left on base
At Bats
Gomes: Flies out to left field to end the inning.
Robles: Strikes out on three pitches on a slider in the dirt.
Zimmerman: Walks on seven pitches; Kendrick to second. Through 4 1/3 innings, Verlander has thrown 71 pitches.
Cabrera: Pops out in foul territory to the catcher.
Kendrick: Singles to left-center field.
Third Inning
BOTTOM 3
Strasburg is settling in now. He’s retired seven straight since Bregman’s home run.
Score: Astros 2, Washington 1
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 left on base
At Bats
Altuve: Pops out to second to end the inning.
Springer: Grounds out to third.
Reddick: Strikes out swinging at a changeup in the dirt.
TOP 3
Verlander had retired seven straight before giving up a pair of two-out walks to Adam Eaton and Anthony Rendon. Facing his first real test of the night, Verlander got Juan Soto to ground out to second to end the inning.
Score: Astros 2, Washington 1
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on base
At Bats
Soto: Grounds out to second to end the inning.
Rendon: Walks on 10 pitches—really made Verlander work in that at bat; Eaton to second.
Eaton: Walks on seven pitches.
Turner: Flies out to center field.
Yan Gomes: Grounds out to second base.
Second Inning
BOTTOM 2
Just like Verlander at the top of the inning, Strasburg shuts down the Astros in order on three ground balls.
Score: Astros 2, Washington 1
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 left on base
At Bats
Chirinos: Grounds out to shortstop to end the inning.
Correa: Grounds out to third base.
Alvarez: Grounds out to second.
TOP 2
Now pitching with a lead, Verlander shut down the Nationals in order, relying heavily on his fastball to get two strikeouts.
Score: Astros 2, Washington 1
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 left on base
At Bats
Victor Robles: Strikes out on a 96 mph fastball. Verlander attacked him with five straight fastballs—all touching 95 mph.
Ryan Zimmerman: Flies out to the warning track in left field.
Asdrubal Cabrera: Strikes out on a 96 mph fastball.
First Inning
BOTTOM 1
Holy smokes that was fast. The Astros quickly squashed Washington’s 1-0 lead on a Jose Altuve sacrifice fly and an Alex Bregman bomb to make it a 2-1 game. That’s Bregman’s third home run and eighth RBI of the World Series. The dude is absolutely crushing the ball as of late.
Score: Astros 2, Washington 1
2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 left on base
At Bats
Gurriel: Flies out to the deepest part of the warning track in left field.
Bregman: Home run! Alex Bregman crushes a ball into the Crawford Boxes. Astros lead 2-1.
Brantley: Strikes out looking at an 88 mph changeup.
Altuve: Sacrifice fly; Springer scores. Astros tie game 1-1.
Springer advances to third on a wild pitch.
Springer: Doubles off the left field wall.
TOP 1
The Nationals strike first on an Anthony Rendon RBI single that scores Trea Turner. Turner led the inning off with an infield single and was originally called out. A review showed he just beat the throw by Astros third baseman Alex Bregman.
Score: Washington 1, Astros 0
1 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 left on base
At Bats
Howie Kendrick: Flies out to right field to end the inning.
Juan Soto: Flies out to left field.
Anthony Rendon: Singles to center field; Turner scores. Washington leads 1-0.
Adam Eaton: Sacrifice bunt; Turner to second.
Trea Turner: Hits an infield single to third base—just beat Alex Bregman’s throw.
—
We See You, Hakeem!
Rockets legend Hakeem Olajuwon threw out the ceremonial first pitch before Game 6.
—
Pregame
The Houston Astros are right where they want to be entering Game 6 of the World Series—their ace on the mound and a chance to clinch a championship.
With a victory tonight, the Astros will claim their second World Series in three years and become just the fifth team in MLB history to rally back and win the series after falling into an 0-2 hole.
To get that win, the Astros will have to beat Washington’s Stephen Strasburg who tossed six innings of two-run ball in Game 2 as the Nationals won 12-3.
Houston turns to Justin Verlander, who’s making his seventh career World Series start. Verlander got the loss in Game 2 after allowing four runs on seven hits in six innings. He's still searching for his first World Series win.
Astros manager A.J. Hinch said he has all the faith in his ace.
“I think he’s going to be great,” Hinch said. “He loves this big stage. He loves being relied upon. He’s going to be as intense as he’s been probably the entire season because he knows what can happen at the end of 27 outs.
“I think this would be a nice little bullet point on a resume that’s headed towards Cooperstown if he can add a season-clinching, World Series-clinching win.”
Here’s what you need to know about tonight’s game.
First Pitch
7:07 p.m. at Minute Maid Park.
How You Can Watch
T.V.: FS1
Radio: SportsTalk 790 AM
Online: Right here—follow our live blog with play-by-play and in-game analysis.
Starting Pitchers
Washington’s Stephen Strasburg (4-0, 1.93 ERA postseason) vs. Houston’s Justin Verlander (1-3, 4.15 ERA postseason).
Starting Lineups
3 Keys to an Astros Win
- Verlander must protect the fastball.
- Don’t miss on Stephen Strasburg’s mistakes.
- Play to the crowd and use home field to their advantage.
Noteworthy
- In six potential series clinching games, Verlander sports a 3-3 record with a 2.72 ERA. He’s thrown 36 1/3 innings, allowed 11 earned runs, struck out 44 and walked seven.
- The Astros have five batters hitting .360 or better in the World Series: Jose Altuve (.360), Robinson Chirinos (.364), Michael Brantley (.400) and Yordan Alvarez (.545).
- Altuve has extended his postseason hitting streak to 25 games, tied for third longest in MLB history. He trails Chase Utley (27 games) and Miguel Cabrera (31 games).
Quoteworthy
“We’ve been successful. We had a lot of wins, franchise records, records through the roof for us. But there’s still been this sense of we have to keep proving it.” — Astros manager A.J. Hinch.
'Astrodamus' Has Made Pretty Solid Predictions This Series
Maybe you've seen his tweets. He's an Astros fan who claims he's from the future, and he's made some pretty solid predictions of late.
Game 4 prediction: "Urquidy was good but we actually call this 'the #Bregman game'."
Result: Urquidy was lights out and Alex Bregman broke his slump with a grand slam.
Game 5 prediction: Cole dominates, Springer and Yordan have big games.
Result: Cole tossed seven innings of one-run ball and Springer and Alvarez each hit two-run homers.
How about his thoughts for Game 6?
On This Day in Astros History
After an epic back-and-forth in the 2017 World Series, the Astros beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 13-12, in 10 innings when Alex Bregman hit a walkoff single. Houston rallied from two three-run deficits and grabbed a 3-2 series lead. The game lasted five hours and 17 minutes. It’s been called the greatest game in Astros history.
Scenes from Game 5
Holy Ticket Prices!
The average price for a Game 6 ticket is $1,320, according to SeatGeek. But that's a bargain compared to tickets for the games in Washington, which were 15 percent more expensive.
A quick check on StubHub before the game shows the cheapest ticket into Minute Maid tonight is standing room only ... for $525.30. If you're really looking to take the game in, a pair of tickets in field box seats along the first base side are going for $12,000 each.
Fast Facts
Five things you might not know about:
- Jose Altuve, including how he often finds himself in the spotlight—but he doesn’t like being there.
- Gerrit Cole grew up cheering for this team. Hint: It wasn’t the Astros.
- George Springer isn’t the only superstar athlete in his family—just ask his wife and sisters.
- Alex Bregman and the reason behind why he wears #2.
- Carlos Correa and his proposal heard 'round the world.
- Yuli Gurriel and how he got his nickname.
- Yordan Alvarez and this accomplishment that surpassed Shoeless Joe Jackson.
- Justin Verlander and his journey to the Astros.
- Josh Reddick and his love for wrestling.
World Series Schedule
Game 1: Washington 5, Houston 4 (Washington leads 1-0)
Game 2: Washington 12, Houston 3 (Washington leads 2-0)
Game 3: Houston 4, Washington 1 (Washington leads 2-1)
Game 3 recap: Victory! Astros come to life with 4-1 win over Nationals
Game 4: Houston 8, Washington 1 (Series tied 2-2)
Game 5: Houston 7, Washington 1 (Houston leads 3-2)
Game 6: Tonight, 7:07 p.m., Houston
Game 7*: Wednesday, 7:07 p.m., Houston
*If necessary
Extra Bases
Love the Astros and podcasts? Subscribe to Extra Bases with KHOU’s Jason Bristol and former major league scout Jeremy Booth who discuss all things Houston Astros and Major League Baseball.
Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts.
More Astros Coverage
- 'That's my boy' | Alex Bregman's love affair with baseball began early, dad says
- Fan who got hit by home run ball is coming to Game 6 - thanks to Bud Light
- Don't press your luck: Some Houston Astros are very superstitious
- How to spot a fake World Series ticket
- J.J. Watt sends 'good luck' gift to Jose Altuve ahead of Game 6
- Why Astros-Nationals Game 6 pitching matchup could be one to remember
- ‘Astrodamus’ predicts Astros will win the World Series tonight
- Vegas odds-makers favor the Astros to win the World Series
- 'Perfect timing' | Houston baby born the same time Alex Bregman hits grand slam