The World Series 2017 between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Houston Astros has already secured a place in the history books: SPOX editor Stefan Petri is running out of superlatives at the latest after an inconceivable game 5, which the Astros won after ten innings at 13:12. Which records have fallen so far – and why predictions for game 6 (and game 7?) are completely pointless…
Attention! To all non-baseball fans who accidentally got lost in this article: I have exactly seven words for you.
You don’t know what you’re missing!
Seriously. Really. No bullshit. This World Series, and especially Game 5 last night, is a very special game… I don’t know how to make it tasty for you, but I don’t want to be accused of not trying later.
Yeah, baseball isn’t for everyone. Yeah, the games can be long. And I’m already hearing the accusations of “Hardly DAZN has the rights and SPOX shows a few games in the live stream, and suddenly it’s the hottest final series of all time”.
But this World Series 2017, which is just great sport so far. Game 5 was simply unbelievable: 5:17 hours of high tension, ten innings, 25 runs, seven home runs, eight lead changes (!), a walk-off victory for the home team. Athlete’s heart, what more do you want? Sorry, it’s no exaggeration to call it one of the best World Series games ever. And we’ve already seen an absolute all timer in Game 2.
3-2 will lead the Astros before the match 6 (and a potential match 7) will be played in Los Angeles at the Dodgers Stadium after the free Monday match 6 (and a potential match 7). Time to pause for a moment: What have we learned so far?
Air for records? Two games could still be ahead of us, but the Astros and Dodgers have already rewritten the history books.
What does that mean? I’ve never seen such crazy results before,”said Astros-Outfielder George Springer,” One important hit after another, one big pitch after another,”I’ve said so many times in this postseason:’ This was the craziest game of my life,'” explained Astros-reliever Joe Musgrove.
When the homerun balls fall into the audience like the candy at carnival, it’s an incredible thrill because no one is sure to lead. 4:0 for the Dodgers in the fourth inning, with Clayton Kershaw on the Mound? If the Dodgers gave the planet’s best pitcher four runs, 101 games won exactly 100 in his career. 100-1 – not worth a damn in this World Series!
A 7-4 for the Dodgers? Dissolved into thin air. 12:9 for the astros in the ninth inning? Not enough! With Kershaw and Dallas Keuchel, two Cy-Young winners entered Maid Park in the minute – and got their butts really spanked. Kershaw has already approved eight homeruns in these playoffs, which is a negative record. Kenley Jansen from the Dodgers was the most dominant regular season closer and has now allowed runs in three consecutive games. Ken Giles on the other side plays so disastrously that he has lost his closing role. Although his colleagues don’t really make it better.
That’s why nothing has been decided here for a long time, oh no. Yes, the Astros will be sending their superstar Justin Verlander to the starting line in Game 6 with a playoff-ERA of 2.05.”This will be great for us,”George Springer cheered. But can Verlander really swim against the Homerun stream? Would it really surprise him to catch some homeruns and be out early? No. On the other hand, you also have to trust him with a no-hitter, the postseason 2017 is going so crazy.
A statistic underlines how open this series is still. Since 1985, the team, which started with a 3-2 record for the last two away games, has had a record of 14-14. Fifty-fifty. Of course it’s clear. Accordingly, I give myself some kind of predictions. Only this much: In 2016, Game 7 went into extra time before the Cubs finally won their first title after 108 years. And sometimes history repeats itself yes….
Be honest: Has the MLB put a little hand on the ball to increase the number of homeruns? After a regular season in which more Homers were beaten than ever before – this trend continues seamlessly in the postseason – voices were heard to have discovered “doped balls”. The League has denied that, and even if it were, the MLB would of course have the right to dock on the equipment – just like any other league in the world.
The players are definitely not convinced. On the contrary, Sports Illustrated published an article on Sunday in which several Dodger and Astros players insisted that the World Series balls were smoother and therefore harder to grip and control. You can see the difference, you can feel it,”said pitching coach Brent Strom of the Astros,” Yu[Darvish, starter in Game 3] could throw his slider as usual,”confirmed Rick Honeycutt of the Dodgers.
Whether the balls are now juiced or not, we pitcher all use the same balls, so it’s fair for everyone,”said Justin Verlander,” The problem is that the balls feel different in the postseason compared to the regular season,”Even if the manufacturer says that nothing has changed. One side has more weight than the other.”
The last word on this matter is certainly not yet spoken. From the fans’ point of view one can only say: If thrillers such as Spiel 2 and Spiel 5 jump out, then the league has certainly not done everything wrong.
Match 6 on Wednesday night (1 o’ clock live on DAZN) is a mandatory date. Does the now 34-year-old Verlander bring home the thing for Houston, for a city that has been devastated by Hurricane Harvey and has been waiting for the title for over 50 years? Or do the Dodgers, almost 30 years without a title, force a game 7? Are further homerun records being broken? Which bull pen is the quicker to pull itself together? Do the managers have an ace up their sleeve? Who becomes a hero? Who the scapegoat?
And if there’s a Game 7, no more words are needed anyway.
Hold it. Only seven more… you don’t know what you’re missing!
This article was published without prior view by the Major League Baseball.
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