Houston wins its first World Series title as they chase Yu Darvish early and coast to a Game 7 victory over the Dodgers.
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Dodgers miss Game 7 scoring opportunities
The Dodgers didn’t want for baserunners in Game 7 of the World Series and were primed with scoring chances in the first three innings.
But Los Angeles left 10 runners on base Wednesday and went 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position, which proved to be the difference in a 5-1 loss.
For the seven-game series, the Dodgers stranded 34 baserunners and hit a paltry .200 with runners in scoring position.
As you can expect, Los Angeles felt the effects the most in the close games. In the one-run, 10-inning loss in Game 5, the Dodgers stranded nine baserunners and went 5-for-16 with runners in scoring position.
Back in Game 2, a 7-6 loss in 11 innings, Los Angeles went 1-for-5 with runners on second or third.
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Astros’ Carlos Correa proposes after World Series win
After winning the World Series, the Houston Astros will soon be sporting flashy championship rings, but it appears Carlos Correa came prepared with a ring of his own.
Moments after his team defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers to give Houston its first World Series title, the Astros shortstop got down on one knee to propose to his girlfriend.
“And right now I’m about to take another big step in my life,” Correa said while being interviewed by Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal. “Daniella Rodriguez, will you marry me?”
An emotional Rodriguez, who was Miss Texas USA in 2016, moved past a barricade to embrace and kiss Correa, who placed the ring on her finger.
She said yes.
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Astros fans ‘can’t believe it’ — their team is World Series champions
At El Tejano in North Hollywood, Astros fans cheered and jumped up and down, spilling beer on the floor. They cried, hugged and chanted “Astros” and “We did it” while Dodgers fans looked on.
“I can’t believe it,” Becca Halpin said. “Amazing. I’m so happy. I’ve got no energy left.”
As music played, people screamed out, “It just hit me, I can’t believe we won,” and, “We’re world champions.”
Standing by the bar, Cris Arias, 42, tried to take it all in.
“My heart was going crazy,” Arias said. “People didn’t expect this to go well as it did.”
“No matter what, it was a great World Series,” he added.
No one could agree more than Bao Chung, 39, who bought a ticket to Los Angeles at the last minute to watch Game 6.
“We lost, but we ended up staying,” Chung said.
He and his friend slept in their rental car and came to El Tejano in North Hollywood with other Houston fans to watch and support the team. It was his first time in Los Angeles.
“Now we gotta buy a ticket home,” he said.
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Dodgers fans are downtrodden after Game 7 loss
As the Astros rushed onto the field after the final out, Eric Beltran, 33, stood in stunned silence, staring straight ahead from the loge section at Dodger Stadium, where he’d bought standing-room-only tickets.
“It’s depressing to watch the other team celebrate on your own field,” he said. He thought the Dodgers would at least have “some fight” in them.
“It wasn’t even exciting for us,” he said of the game.
The only chance he was able to cheer was the single run scored when Andre Ethier singled during the sixth inning.
Carlos Padilla, 23, of Loma Linda, felt confident coming into the game and was just sad throughout.
“I felt like we didn’t have a chance after Yu Darvish blew the lead,” he said.
This loss hurt, and it’s going to keep hurting for a while.
Dodgers fans quickly made for the exits. Coming up the stairs near Padilla, one woman had tears in her eyes.
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Astros top Dodgers 5-1 to win World Series
Bottom of the ninth.
Chase Utley, batting for the pitcher, struck out swinging.
Chris Taylor grounded to second.
Corey Seager grounded to second.
Congratulations to the Houston Astros, World Series champions.
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These Astros fans in North Hollywood are ready to celebrate
Inside El Tejano, a Tex-Mex restaurant in North Hollywood, more than two dozen Astros fans gathered to watch and cheer for their team.
Surrounded by a sea of Dodger blue, the group occasionally cheered and clapped as they watched their team take the lead in the do-or-die game. They celebrated each time their team prevented the Dodgers from scoring or for one of their favorite players, but they made sure they didn’t celebrate too much.
“We know we’re in enemy territory,” said Ian Willoughby, 36.
Every now and then, L.A. fans responded with “Let’s go, Dodgers,” or the names of players.
These Astros fans are members of the L.A. Houston Sports Fans, a Facebook page devoted to, well, Houston sport teams.
Erin Salinas, 36, said the group formed three years ago to bring Houston fans together in Los Angeles and has been growing since. She became the core organizer for the group last year.
“Coming from Houston, seeing another fan you didn’t know about is like finding home,” Salinas said.
Becca Halpin, a 36-year-old event planner, discovered the group for Sunday’s wild game in Houston.
“It’s better than being at home yelling at the television,” Halpin said.
During the top of fifth inning, Halpin said she’s hoping for the obvious — the Astros to win the World Series.
“This year with the Harvey devastation, we need this,” Halpin said about the hurricane. “It’s about bringing a little bit of joy.”
Leading by five runs, Halpin said it was still too early to celebrate.
Petting the group’s mascot, Artemis, Josh McClain, a 25-year-old who was wearing a George Springer jersey, said he’s not going to be celebrating until the game is officially over.
McClain said he put his worries aside when the Astros won Game 5 and is hoping the team will win.
“It’s been great a World Series,” he said.
As the game continued, the group appeared shocked when the Dodgers scored a run. But by the bottom of the eighth there were only smiles with the Astros leading 5-1. Their team was just three outs from being World Series champions.
Willoughby said winning would be “everything.”
“It’s 36 years of watching us come close,” he added. “We need this.”
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Astros don’t score in top of ninth
Top of the ninth.
Charlie Morton struck out looking.
Cameron Maybin struck out looking.
George Springer flied to center.
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Dodgers are down to their last three outs
Bottom of the eighth.
Joc Pederson struck out swinging.
Logan Forsythe flied to right.
Austin Barnes flied to center.
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Astros don’t score in top of eighth
Top of the eighth. Alex Wood is now pitching.
Yuli Gurriel flied to center.
Brian McCann struck out looking.
Marwin Gonzalez grounded to third.
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Disheartened Dodgers fans hope for a late-inning comeback
John Mann, 54, of Thousand Oaks clutched a michelada at Dodger Stadium and shook his head angrily about the Dodgers trailing 5-0 in the top of the sixth inning.
He stood with Julio Gomez, 38, of Oxnard on the loge level on the third-base side.
“We’re bummed out,” Mann said.
“Brutal,” Gomez said. “It’s gonna be a sad day in L.A. tomorrow. We’ve been waiting too long for this moment.”
“It’s gonna suck,” he added. “At least make a game out of it.”
Both men have been fans since they were children.
“We’re let down,” Mann said. “If it was me personally, I would have started Kershaw and not Darvish. They killed him in his first game.”
“Wait till next year,” he said. People always say it. Mann said it bitterly.
“It hurts,” he said.
Still, both men said, they’d be back next year.
On the field level, Alex Soltero, 41, of Los Angeles wore a Dodger blue sombrero and poncho. Despite the Dodgers trailing 5-0 in the bottom of the sixth, he has a shred of confidence that they’d figure things out over the next few innings.
“I’m OK,” he said. “I have faith in our Dodgers.”
The game wasn’t going how he thought it would, but ”you can never let go of your faith.”
Tony Avila, 44, of Los Angeles, who was wearing a sombrero and poncho, also refused to believe his team could actually lose.
“This is the Dodgers’ hometown. The Dodgers are going to win in the ninth inning.”
Near them, Omar Portillo, 30, of Rosemead was devastated.
“I’m heartbroken,” he said. “I worked very hard to come to this game, to pay for these tickets.”
Portillo works as a valet at a Santa Monica hotel and had put in a lot of extra hours to come to the game with his wife.
“I feel like you have to have luck on your side, and I think the Astros have luck on their side.”
He spent the game screaming his lungs out. He was surrounded by more optimistic people, but he didn’t care. He was sad and disappointed.
“I’ll probably be heartbroken for the next two months.”
Still, he’s glad he came. The pain will eventually cede to his being glad he saw something historic.
“It’s a lifetime experience,” he said, sighing.
When the Dodgers scored one in the bottom of the sixth on an Andre Ethier single, fans exploded, screaming as if they’d won the game. They at least weren’t going to see the Dodgers go scoreless.
“We got on the board, baby!” one man screamed.
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Dodgers go down quietly in bottom of seventh
Bottom of the seventh.
Justin Turner popped to first.
Cody Bellinger struck out looking.
Yasiel Puig grounded to short.
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Astros don’t score in top of the seventh
Top of the seventh. Kenley Jansen pitching.
George Springer flied to left-center. Chris Taylor made a running and sliding catch.
Alex Bregman struck out swinging.
Jose Altuve walked.
With Carlos Correa batting, Altuve stole second. Correa popped to short.
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Dodgers close to 5-1 in bottom of sixth
Bottom of the sixth. Charlie Morton now pitching.
Joc Pederson singled to center.
Logan Forsythe walked.
Austin Barnes popped to short.
Andre Ethier, batting for Clayton Kershaw, singled to right, scoring Pederson.
Chris Taylor struck out swinging.
Corey Seager grounded to short.
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Astros leave the bases loaded in the top of the sixth
Top of the sixth.
Carlos Correa singled to left.
Yuli Gurriel grounded to the pitcher, Correa to second.
Brian McCann grounded into the shift. Logan Forsythe had to run half a mile to catch it and throw him out.
Marwin Gonzalez was walked intentionally.
Evan Gattis, batting for Josh Reddick, was also walked intentionally.
Cameron Maybin, batting for the pitcher, popped to third.
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Dodgers don’t score in bottom of fifth
Bottom of the fifth.
Chris Taylor flied to left.
Corey Seager walked.
Justin Turner grounded into the hole and off of Alex Bregman’s glove. Runners at first and second, one out.
And that’s it for Brad Peacock. Francisco Liriano coming in to pitch.
Cody Bellinger grounded to first, forcing Turner at second. First and third, two out.
And that’s it for Liriano. Chris Devenski coming in to pitch.
Yasiel Puig lined to first.
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It’s ‘stressful’ at the Down and Out, but there’s ‘still a lot of baseball to play’
Nate Joyner has two words to describe Game 7: extremely stressful.
As he took a break from bartending at the Down and Out in downtown L.A., Joyner said that the five-run deficit has been infuriating to watch but that he’s “still not afraid.”
“There’s still a lot of baseball to play,” the 41-year-old said as Justin Turner came up to bat in the bottom of the fifth inning. “Every game we’ve blown up in the sixth.”
“That’s the way I like to hear you talk!” a bar patron shouted as he walked past.
Joyner said he has been a Dodgers fan for 20 years since moving to Los Angeles from Florida. He attended about 20 Dodgers games this year.
Joyner was raised a Cubs fan but officially switched when his daughter was born seven years ago, he said.
“It’s the energy of the ballpark, everything about these players,” he said. “The Ravine is my church.”
Joyner said he won’t count the Dodgers out just yet because of how “crazy” the series against the Astros has been and how “incredibly” well the team has played.
“If we don’t win tonight, it’ll ... kill me,” he said. “But I know in my heart we’re gonna get one. We are.”
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The last time Afle Diaz says he was at Dodger Stadium: Game 5 of 1965 World Series
The last time Afle Diaz stepped foot in Dodger Stadium, he said, it was Game 5 of the 1965 World Series.
Sandy Koufax was on the mound. The Dodgers beat the Minnesota Twins 7-0.
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FOR THE RECORD, 7:45 p.m.: A previous version of this post said Diaz last was at Dodger Stadium for Game 7 of the 1965 World Series, pitched by Koufax. That game was played in Minnesota. Koufax also pitched in Game 5 in L.A., which the Dodgers won 7-0.
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Back then, Diaz was overcharged for his ticket. It was listed for $15 but was jacked up to $17 once he got to the stadium.
Fifty-two years later, he was back for Game 7 of the 2017 World Series. His son, Anthony, paid $1,500 apiece for their left-field loge-level tickets.
Diaz, a 76-year-old retired heavy machinery operator from Fontana, wore a pin that said “#1 Fan” given to him by stadium staff when they learned how long it had been for him to return here.
The stadium looks the same, he said. “It’s beautiful.”
Anthony Diaz said he surprised his father with tickets Tuesday night. He arrived at his house after the Dodgers won Game 6, and his father answered the door, screaming, “The Dodgers won!”
When Anthony, 48, told him he got tickets, he froze.
“He was speechless,” Anthony said. “He didn’t say a word.”
In the bottom of the fifth inning, with the Dodgers trailing 5-0, fans either swore loudly or sat stone-faced. Many crowded in the corridors, too anxious to sit.
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Astros go down quietly in top of fifth
Top of the fifth.
George Springer struck out swinging.
Alex Bregman struck out swinging.
Jose Altuve popped to first.
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Dodgers go down in order in bottom of fourth
Bottom of the fourth.
Logan Forsythe grounded to third.
Austin Barnes popped to third.
Clayton Kershaw struck out swinging.
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Astros don’t score again in top of fourth
Top of the fourth.
Brian McCann struck out swinging.
Marwin Gonzalez singled into the hole in short.
Gonzalez took second on a wild pitch.
Josh Reddick grounded to short.
Brad Peacock flied to center.
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Dodgers keep putting runners on but can’t score
Bottom of the third.
Corey Seager singled to center.
Justin Turner was hit by a pitch. That’s four hit batters by Lance McCullers Jr.
Cody Bellinger struck out swinging.
Yasiel Puig up.
And that’s it for McCullers. Brad Peacock is coming in to pitch.
Puig flied to deep center, Seager taking third.
Joc Pederson struck out swinging.
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‘There’s still time’: Fans hopeful as Dodgers fall behind
First, a hush fell across the bar. Then came the jeers.
“Come the ... on!”
“Take him out!”
Dodgers pitcher Yu Darvish had just allowed a fifth run, and the fans at downtown L.A.’s Down and Out wanted him pulled from the game.
Melissa Villalobos stood next to a friend and stared at the three televisions hanging above the bar, angry that her team had fallen so far behind.
“There’s still time,” she said.
The 29-year-old grew up in Echo Park, not far from Dodger Stadium. She remembers watching baseball games with her uncle, who she said is a “huge Dodgers fan.”
She isn’t old enough to remember the last time the Dodgers won the World Series in 1988, but she feels it’s a good omen that their last win was the year she was born.
“It has to happen now,” she said. “I still have hope.”
She added: “If they win or lose, it’s going to be crazy here. It’s going to be crazy everywhere. No matter what.”
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Daughters carry the spirit of their father with them to Game 7
Louis Maldonado was a huge Dodgers fan.
And even though the 78-year-old Amtrak foreman died of lung cancer last year, his daughters say he is with them in spirit at Game 7 of the World Series.
Lulu Maldonado, 47, of Whittier and Sally Maldonado, 53, of West Covina said he would have loved this. While raising nine kids in Boyle Heights, he always talked about the team and had the games on TV.
“We used every last penny to get here,” Sally said. “It was worth it.”
The sisters came to Game 7 in matching T-shirts that showed Yasiel Puig sticking out his tongue. They attended Game 6, too, with their brother, who wore their dad’s old Dodgers jacket. Their brother dribbled food on it, and they said that meant their dad was there, because that’s what he’d always do.
Throughout the season, to honor Louis, they put his photo on the spot on the couch where he always sat to watch games. They put his hat, jacket and cane around it.
“Dad used to sit there and hit rewind so he didn’t miss anything,” Lulu said. “Our father led us to bleed Dodger blue, and we’re here for him, representing him.”
In the second inning, with the Dodgers trailing 5-0, fans in the stadium were stunned and angry, screaming curse words and too nervous to sit in their seats, crowding in the corridors as if to put some distance between themselves and the disaster unfolding before them with Yu Darvish on the mound.
“Get him off the mound!” a man growled.
A woman let out a blood-curdling scream.
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L.A. landmarks light up for the Dodgers
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Clayton Kershaw retires Astros in order
Top of the third. Clayton Kershaw now pitching.
Jose Altuve flied to center.
Carlos Correa flied to right.
Yuli Gurriel struck out looking.
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Get a 360-degree view of Dodger Stadium for Game 7
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Dodgers don’t score in bottom of second
Bottom of the second.
Logan Forsythe singled to left.
Clayton Kershaw is warming up in the bullpen.
Austin Barnes grounded to third. Great diving stop by Alex Bregman to make the play and throw him out. Forsythe to second.
Enrique Hernandez, batting for Brandon Morrow, was hit by a pitch.
Chris Taylor lined to Carlos Correa at short. Correa got the double play, picking Forsythe off at second.
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Astros take 5-0 lead in top of second inning
Top of the second.
Brian McCann walked.
Marwin Gonzalez doubled to right-center.
With the infield in, Josh Reddick grounded to second. Runners had to hold.
Brandon Morrow is warming up in the Dodgers bullpen.
Lance McCullers Jr. grounded to second. The ball was hit slowly, allowing McCann to score. 3-0 Astros.
George Springer homered to left. 5-0 Astros.
And that’s it for Yu Darvish. Brandon Morrow is now in the game.
Alex Bregman struck out swinging.
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She’s due to give birth next week, but that didn’t stop her from attending Game 7
Elizabeth Ceja is supposed to be giving birth to a baby boy next week.
So when her mom called her Wednesday morning and said she’d bought tickets to World Series Game 7 for her and her brother, she wondered if she should go. She’d already been having contractions, after all.
But whether she gives birth at the stadium or not, she’s here, wearing a Dodger blue shirt over her pregnant belly that says, “You’re Kickin’ Me Smalls.”
“Hopefully I don’t go into labor with all the excitement of the game,” said Ceja, 32, of Santa Ana.
Ceja said she doesn’t yet know what her son is going to be named, but she’s considering Jet, after the character Benny “the Jet” Rodriguez in the 1993 baseball movie “The Sandlot.”
She planned to take selfies with her belly in the stands and to tell her son he was at Game 7 of the World Series.
Her mom, Liz Rosas, decided to get the tickets this morning and called her adult children, surprising them.
Rosas, 56, also of Santa Ana, works as a financial coordinator and actually pulled in to work this morning before she realized she was making a huge mistake by missing out on the historic game.
“I was at work,” she said. “I was in the parking stall. And I thought, ‘What am I doing here?’ ”
Rosas grew up a Dodger fan and came to games to see greats such as Sandy Koufax, Steve Garvey and Ron Cey.
She started crying on Wednesday long before the game had even begun.
If they win?
“Oh, God, it would mean so much,” she said.
Her son, Francisco Rosas, 30, also of Santa Ana, said that even if the Dodgers lose, the family will be proud of them.
“We’re still fans,” he said. “We’ll still be here.”
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Dodgers leave bases loaded in bottom of first
Bottom of the first.
Chris Taylor doubled to right-center.
Corey Seager struck out swinging.
Justin Turner was hit by a pitch.
Cody Bellinger struck out swinging.
Yasiel Puig was hit by a pitch.
Joc Pederson grounded to second. That’s a big scoring opportunity wasted.
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The Down and Out bar is packed with anticipation
Chants of “Let’s go, Dodgers!” filled the Down and Out in downtown Los Angeles just before the first pitch Wednesday evening as fans packed into the bar to cheer on their favorite baseball team.
A blue Dodgers flag hung by the front door across from where the game was being broadcast on a big screen. Dozens of fans dressed in blue shirts and Dodgers hats filled into plastic chairs, with their phones clutched in their hands as they waited for the deciding game of the World Series to begin. Some held their faces in their palms in anxiety.
Sal Barajas, 31, stopped by to catch the game after work. Dressed in a Dodgers jersey with his name sewn across the back, Barajas said it was surreal to see the team reach Game 7.
“They’re playing with heart,” he said. “Everybody’s doing what they’re supposed to do.”
Still, he said, he has no idea who will come out on top — not after the back-and-forth that has been this World Series.
“I honestly don’t know,” he said. “Whoever wins it deserves it.”
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He’s back, and nothing has changed from Game 6 (including his clothes)
Momo Rodriguez is doing his part for the Dodgers during Game 7 of the World Series.
Like so many baseball fans, he’s superstitious. So, he came to the last game of the Fall Classic wearing the same clothes he wore to Game 6, which the Dodgers won.
He repeated everything he did for Game 6. He brought 4 SmartWaters to Dodger Stadium and half a bag of Cracker Jack. He bought a bag of pistachios, but since the one he brought Tuesday was half full, he dumped half out in his car before Game 7.
This last game on a cloudy day in November was emotional for 34-year-old Rodriguez, who has loved this team since he was a boy.
“It’s like watching a member of your family excel,” he said. “You give them a hard time during the year, but when they succeed, there’s so much pride you don’t have the words.”
Getting to watch a hard-fought Game 7, he said, will be like watching a relative graduate. If the Dodgers win, it’ll be like watching that relative become valedictorian, he said.
Rodriguez was a young boy growing up in Norwalk when the Dodgers won the 1988 World Series. His parents, originally from Chihuahua, Mexico, were huge fans who idolized pitcher Fernando Valenzuela.
His folks would bring him to games when he was a kid. His mom would make bean burritos to take to the stadium — but since she didn’t realize you were allowed to bring in outside food, she made her kids hide them under their shirts to sneak them into the stadium.
Rodriguez said she’d make the burritos and, to preserve the heat, would immediately wrap them in aluminum foil that burned his skin under a jacket on a hot summer day.
“I was always sweating at games, wearing big jackets,” he said, laughing. “We all looked like sick kids at Dodger games, holding our stomachs.”
It’s a fond memory, he said. The taste of a bean burrito still reminds him of those stadium picnics with his family.
When he found out in adulthood that, indeed, they were allowed to bring food in the whole time, he called his mom and teased her.
Rodriguez said he takes great pride in the Dodgers in part because they’re a team that has adapted to its Latino fan base, with events such as Viva Los Dodgers, the embracing of the phrase “Los Doyers” and even the ubiquitous micheladas at the stadium. The team, he said, has long represented inclusion with its embrace of players such as Jackie Robinson and Valenzuela.
On Wednesday, Rodriguez carried a Dodger blue sombrero. He’d already made enough World Series-branded clothing purchases that he had to call and “barter with my wife.”
“This is a city of dreams,” he said. “And It feels amazing when there’s such a beautiful reality playing out in front of you.”
All around him, anxious Dodgers fans streamed into the stadium, hours before game time, picking up their blue rally towels and breaking into chants of “Let’s go, Dodgers!”
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Astros take 2-0 lead in top of first inning
World Series Game 7. Dodgers vs. Astros. Yu Darvish vs. Lance McCullers Jr. Here we go.
George Springer doubled down the left-field line. Can we please get him out just once?
Alex Bregman grounded into the hole at first. Cody Bellinger made the play, but threw it away as Darvish was covering first. 1-0 Astros. Bregman is on second.
Bregman stole third.
Jose Altuve grounded to first, Bregman scoring.
Carlos Correa grounded to first, Darvish covering.
As he stepped into the batters box, Yuli Gurriel tipped his helmet toward Darvish for a show of respect.
Gurriel flied to right.
Darvish threw 24 pitches. He’s not long for the game at that rate.
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Columnist Dylan Hernandez predicts a Dodgers win and reminds fans to celebrate appropriately
I think Yu Darvish will recover from his Game 3 debacle and pitch well tonight. And I think the Dodgers have a substantial edge over the Houston Astros in the bullpen, especially now with Clayton Kershaw and Alex Wood available in relief. So I’m picking the Dodgers to win Game 7 by something like a 7-3 score and claim their first World Series championship in 29 years.
Here’s the important part: Fellow citizens of Los Angeles, if the game unfolds the way I envision, please don’t do anything stupid.
Don’t flip over any cars. Don’t fire any bullets into the sky. Don’t light anything on fire other than the counterfeit Cuban cigar you have set aside for an occasion such as this.
This should be a showcase event for Los Angeles, not another instance where the city embarrasses itself.
I know many of you have waited a long time for this. I know there’s an entire generation or two out there who have never seen the Dodgers win a World Series. That doesn’t give you permission to transform into vandals.
More than any other team, the Dodgers represent this city, with Los Angeles’ rich diversity reflected on the roster. The Dodgers have represented this city well. Fans should do the same.
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How L.A. and Houston match up off the field
Six games into the World Series we have a pretty good idea how the Dodgers and Astros match up on the field. But how do their fans compare off the field?
Nielsen Sports Sponsorlink, a national syndicated tracking study designed to measure consumer attitudes and consumption of different sports and their sponsors, crunched the numbers, and here are some of the things it found:
- The Dodgers play in the second-largest television market in the country and have the fifth-largest fan base in the U.S. The Astros, from the nation’s 10th-largest TV market, have the 16th-largest fan base.
- Fifty-nine percent of people in the Astros market are married, compared with 50% in the Southern California market.
- Thirty-eight percent of Southern California residents are affiliated with the Democratic Party, compared with 23% of the people in Houston.
- Twenty-nine percent of people in the Houston market are affiliated with the Republican Party, compared with 23% in Southern California.
- Twenty-nine percent of Houstonians own a pickup truck, compared with 14% of Southern Californians.
- Eight percent of people in the L.A. area own or lease a hybrid car, compared with 3% in Houston.
- Fifteen percent of people in Houston follow a weight-loss program, compared with 7% of those in Southern California.
- Twenty-eight percent of Dodgers fans belong to a gym or health club, compared with 19% of Astros fans.
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The Dodgers had interest in A.J. Hinch — 13 years ago
The Dodgers could see that A.J. Hinch was destined for a starring role beyond his playing days. Hinch, now drawing raves for his work as the Houston Astros’ manager, had not even finished his playing career when he hit the Dodgers’ radar as a possible candidate for an executive job.
In 2004, Hinch was a triple-A catcher in the Philadelphia Phillies’ organization. Paul DePodesta, then the Dodgers’ first-year general manager, considered Hinch in his search for a minor league director.
“I don’t want a clone of me as the farm director,” DePodesta told The Times then. “Someone with a playing background would be very attractive.”
Hinch, who played one more year at triple-A before retiring, said he never did get an offer from the Dodgers. However, he said, he had conversations with contacts in many organizations, trying to determine what his next career move might be.
“When you don’t hit a slider consistently, you’re not going to play very long,” Hinch said Wednesday. “And there’s only so far personality can take you as a backup catcher.”
This year has gone better for Hinch than for DePodesta.
When the New York Mets advanced to the World Series in 2015, DePodesta was their vice president of player development and scouting. The NFL’s Cleveland Browns hired him two months later, as their chief strategy officer, in an attempt to revive the dormant franchise using the principles of “Moneyball.”
That may yet work, but the early results resemble an NFL version of tanking. The Browns are 0-8 this season and 1-23 since DePodesta’s arrival.
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Dodgers win the World Series ... or so our L.A. Times team predicts
The Dodgers win the World Series, their first since 1988.
That could be the headline tonight — well, actually, it is likely to be way more clever that that — at the conclusion of the first World Series Game 7 played at Dodger Stadium.
Almost to a man, the Los Angeles Times’ coverage team is predicting that the Dodgers will defeat the Houston Astros on Wednesday night.
Rooting for the hometown team? Not likely. A Dodgers victory just means more work.
Pedro Moura, The Times’ Angels beat reporter, is the lone holdout. He’s predicting a 5-4 Astros win.
The others, all choosing the Dodgers:
Andy McCullough, Dodgers beat writer: 6-2.
Bill Shaikin, national baseball writer: 5-3.
Houston Mitchell, who writes The Times’ Dodgers newsletter: 5-2.
Deputy sports editor Mike Hiserman and former Angels beat writer Mike DiGiovanna: 4-2.
Reporter Kevin Baxter, who is covering his eighth World Series: also 4-2.
Columnist Dylan Hernandez: 7-3.
And then there is columnist Bill Plaschke, who sent along this: 10-4, good buddy.
Over and out.
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Plaschke predicts Dodgers fans will be celebrating tonight after Game 7
The Dodgers will win.
That’s my World Series Game 7 prediction, I’m putting it right out there, and while it might lack drama, it is not short of substance.
The Dodgers will defeat the Houston Astros tonight to win their first World Series championship in 29 years – and sixth in their 59 years in Los Angeles – for one simple reason.
The Dodgers are the better team. They were the better team during the regular season, they were better in the previous two rounds of the playoffs, and they will be better in the only game left.
Throw out the records of starting pitchers Yu Darvish and Lance McCullers Jr., because everybody is going to pitch in this game.
Throw out the deadening fatigues and nagging injuries, because adrenaline will allow everyone to feel at full strength in this game.
“This is Game 7. Every player works and dreams about this moment,’’ said manager Dave Roberts before the game. “So innings, at-bats, workload, we don’t care. We’re trying to win one game. So all that stuff is out the window.’’
The Dodgers have better pitchers. I’ll take the three starters they will use tonight – Darvish, Alex Wood and Clayton Kershaw – over the Astros starters who are available: McCullers Jr., Charlie Morton and Dallas Keuchel.
The Dodgers have better relievers. They have the best closer in the game in Kenley Jansen while the Astros don’t even have a closer. If Houston is going to be in a position to win, who is getting those last three outs?
The Dodgers offense is more consistent. Heroes can come from anywhere, from relentless Chris Taylor to August castoff Joc Pederson to Kirk Gibson imitator Justin Turner. The Astros offense is basically confined to its first four hitters, and really runs on the duo of Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa. In the Astros wins in the last two play rounds, that duo has combined for 17 RBIs. In the Astros losses, zero RBIs. And both have struggled against Darvish.
Finally, the Dodgers are 6-1 at home this postseason, while the Astros are 2-6 on the road, and that will matter in the biggest game in Dodger Stadium history. Three hours before first pitch Wednesday afternoon, fans were already standing and chanting, “Let’s Go Dodgers.’’
After the Dodgers bring them their long-awaited title, they will be singing that tune long into the night.
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Dave Roberts discusses Game 7
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Kenley Jansen spends some time with Don Newcombe
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Here is the Game 7 lineup for the Dodgers
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Dodgers fans: We need your help
Los Angeles has been waiting for this day for 29 years. Wherever you’ll be tonight -- whether it’s a packed bar or a friend’s watch party or Dodger Stadium -- we want to see L.A.’s reaction to the final out of this seven-game World Series. So we’re asking for your help.
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Game 7 weather should favor the pitchers
NASA climatologist William Patzert of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena is calling for temperatures in the mid-60s for Game 7 with a possibility of light drizzle. That means heavier air and possibly stickier baseballs, which he said will favor the pitchers.
It was 103 degrees at the first pitch for Game 1 a week ago, which worked to the benefit of the hitters.
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Clayton Kershaw will be available for Game 7
Dodger manager Dave Roberts, who has ridden his bullpen hard in the World Series, said everyone will be available to pitch in relief in Game 7 on Wednesday. And everyone includes ace left-hander Clayton Kershaw, who came out of the pen to rescue the Dodgers in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series a year ago.
“When you’re talking about Clayton Kershaw, Game 7, I think anything’s within reason,” Roberts said. “Knowing that we have Alex Wood, Clayton and everyone else available, that’s a good sign.”
Kershaw, who beat the Astros in Game 1, threw 97 pitches in 4 2/3 innings of Game 5, which Houston won. And though Kershaw is fanatical about his preparations, he said that’s something that’s out of his control now.
“Preparation’s out the door at this point. Routine’s out the door,” he said. “I’ll be ready. Whatever they need from me.”
“How often do you get to play in Game 7 of a World Series?” he added.
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The Astros’ Lance McCullers Jr. had a feeling he’d be needed in Game 7
Houston manager A.J. Hinch declined to name a Game 7 starter until Game 6 had finished. But the guy he eventually handed the ball to had a pretty good idea he was going to get it all along.
“I knew it was a possibility coming into the series,” said Lance McCullers, who also started Game 3, putting him in line to begin Game 7. “A.J. scheduled me for [Game] 3 coming in for a reason.
“This Series was destined to go seven pretty much the whole time.”
McCullers spent part of Game 6 in the Astros’ bullpen, although he didn’t do any throwing until after the Dodgers had won to force a deciding next game.
“The guys know in the clubhouse that I go out there and I’m not going to hold anything back,” said McCullers, who allowed three runs on four hits in 5 1/3 innings to win Game 3. “That’s something that I’ve always tried to pride myself on, regardless of how I’m pitching or how I’m feeling.”
Hinch said every other pitcher on his staff, except for Game 6 starter Justin Verlander, will be available behind McCullers, who might have a short leash as a result.
“It’s Game 7,” he said. “All of our guys are going to have the adrenaline on their side. They’re all going to be ready to pitch. If it’s one pitch or 100 pitches, we’re going to have all hands on deck.”
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Joc Pederson is inspired by his brother
Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson, whose solo home run in the seventh inning put the exclamation point on the team’s Game 6 win Tuesday, appeared at the postgame media conference with his brother Champ.
Champ, who was born with Down Syndrome, has spent a lot of time around the Dodgers during the postseason and his younger sibling said his presence has had a positive effect.
“He keeps me humble and makes me realize that it’s just a baseball game and there’s a lot more to life,” said Joc Pederson, whose homer Tuesday was his third of the Series. “He always has a smile on his face, even through stressful situations.”
Champ took that theme a step further.
“I have a feeling that everything’s possible,” he said. “There’s going to be a Game 7 so I just want to say that they’ll get it done. I’m not going to say they have it but I’m just going to say they will find a way.
“That’s them. My guys.”
But even if the Dodgers win Game 7, earning Joc Pederson a championship ring, he’ll have a way to go to catch his brother, who is a Hall of Famer. Champ, a graduate of the Challenger Division of the Palo Alto Little League, was enshrined in the Little League Hall of Fame in August, making him the first Challenger Division player to earn that honor.
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Dodgers broadcaster Alanna Rizzo makes sure Hall of Fame reporter Claire Smith can see Game 7 live
Wednesday’s Game 7 at Dodger Stadium will be historic for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that it will be the first time the seventh game of the World Series is played in Chavez Ravine. And Alanna Rizzo, a reporter with the Dodgers’ broadcast team at SportsNet LA, decided it was something a woman who had made her own kind of baseball history needed to see live.
On Wednesday morning, Rizzo walked into the stadium’s cafeteria and insisted that Claire Smith, a recent inductee into the writers’ wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame, take her third-row seat in the press box.
Smith, a pioneering female sportswriter, became the first woman to win the J.G. Taylor Spink Award from the Baseball Writers’ Assn. this year. She was honored for “meritorious contributions to baseball writing” during her Hall of Fame induction ceremony in July.
But she has been anonymously covering the Dodgers-Astros World Series from crowded workrooms in Los Angeles and Houston, where she was forced to follow the action on a television monitor.
When Rizzo insisted that Smith watch the deciding game from her seat, Smith at first resisted, then began to tear up when Rizzo escorted her to her new spot.
“Please,” Rizzo told the other journalists who saw her act of kindness. “She’s in the Hall of Fame. She should be in the press box.”
In the 1980s, Smith became the first female beat writer in baseball history when she covered the New York Yankees for the Hartford Courant. It wasn’t an easy job. After the first game of the 1984 National League Championship Series, Smith was physically removed from the San Diego Padres clubhouse despite the fact league rules required all accredited journalists to have equal access to the locker room.
The next day, then-Commissioner Peter Ueberroth strengthened that rule, insisting that all credentialed media members get equal clubhouse access regardless of gender.
Smith went on to work as a columnist for the New York Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer. She currently is a news editor for ESPN.
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Dodgers’ Yu Darvish talks about starting Game 7 of the World Series
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Bill Plaschke predicts the winner of Game 7 of the World Series
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Get ready for Los Angeles’ first World Series Game 7
Dodger Stadium has played host to a pope and the Kings. The Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Three Tenors have performed there. So have the Harlem Globetrotters.
But baseball’s third-oldest ballpark, which opened in 1962, has never seen Game 7 of a World Series played there. Until today.
By rallying for a 3-1 victory in Game 6 on Tuesday, the Dodgers kept the champagne in the Houston Astros’ clubhouse corked and assured that history would be made Wednesday in their iconic home of 56 seasons.
Either the Dodgers will win the first Game 7 played in Los Angeles or the Astros, born the same year Dodger Stadium was built, will win their first World Series title. Either the Dodgers will capture a championship for the first time in 29 years or the state of Texas will own a trophy it has never won.
High drama and high stakes, either way.
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Game 7 tickets are easy to get ... if you have $800 (or much more) to spare
Tickets for Game 7 between the Dodgers and Houston Astros are the hottest ticket in L.A. on Wednesday.
That doesn’t mean there’s few tickets available. Actually, ticket reseller StubHub told ESPN that more than 16,000 tickets were posted on the site as of early Wednesday morning.
But they’re still going to be hard to purchase, at least for most average baseball fans. StubHub told ESPN that the average price for a ticket to the first World Series Game 7 ever at Dodger Stadium was $1,795.
Too pricey? Well, don’t despair. As of 8 a.m. PT, the least expensive Game 7 ticket on StubHub was only $790. Similarly, Barry’s Tickets had them starting at $808.
And if money is no object, then you are definitely in luck. StubHub has a pair of seats directly behind home plate for as low as $14,250.
That’s quite an investment, but maybe worth it for some if the Dodgers clinch their first World Series title in 29 years.
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Dodgers win 3-1
Top of the ninth.
Marwin Gonzalez popped to first.
Josh Reddick struck out swinging.
Carlos Beltran struck out swinging.
Dodgers 3, Astros 1
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Dodgers don’t score in bottom of the eighth, still lead 3-1
Bottom of the eighth. Luke Gregerson now pitching.
Charlie Culberson singled to left.
Chris Taylor grounded down the third-base line. Alex Bregman made a great stop and threw wide, but Yuli Gurriel came off the bag and made the tag.
Corey Seager struck out swinging.
Justin Turner walked. First and second, two out. And that’s it for Gregerson. Francisco Liriano now pitching.
Cody Bellinger struck out swinging.
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Watch Joc Pederson’s solo homer
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He’s the official good-luck charm for Game 6
Roman Luna wore a conical red gnome hat, a big belt, a white beard and a Nomar Garciaparra jersey.
He was — wait for it — Gnomar Garciaparra.
“I’m the good-luck-World-Series-Game-6 Dodger gnome,” Luna said. “It’s an official title.”
Luna decided to come to Tuesday’s game at the last minute. He was 18 when the Dodgers played in the World Series in 1988 and didn’t go to a game or the championship parade, thinking his team would make the Fall Classic again soon.
Twenty-nine years later, the Long Beach resident still shakes his head at that decision.
“I regret not going,” he said. “It’s my biggest regret.”
He vividly remembers listening to the radio when Kirk Gibson hit the winning home run. He was driving his Hyundai along Rosecrans Avenue in Norwalk and almost wrecked because he was so excited.
Luna’s love of the Dodgers was passed along by his family. His grandfather helped build Dodger Stadium.
And his godmother, who is Mexican American, lived on Chavez Ravine and was one of the last people kicked out of her home when it was built. She eventually came to embrace the Dodgers, Luna said.
“The Dodgers are woven in my life,” said Luna.
For him, seeing his team lose in Game 5 was brutal.
“It was a heartbreaker,” he said. “It hurt.”
“Today’s a big day.” he added. “I need them to win.”
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Astros go down in order in eighth
Kenley Jansen pitching. Charlie Culberson in at second.
Carlos Correa flied to left.
Yuli Gurriel popped to first.
Brian McCann struck out swinging.
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Joc Pederson’s homer makes it 3-1 Dodgers
Joe Musgrove now pitching.
Yasiel Puig popped to short.
Joc Pederson homered to left. 3-1 Dodgers.
Andre Ethier flied to shallow left. Marwin Gonzalez made a running catch.
Austin Barnes struck out looking.
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Astros miss another scoring chance in top of seventh
Top of the seventh.
Josh Reddick walked.
Evan Gattis was announced as the pinch hitter for Justin Verlander. And that’s it for Tony Watson. In comes Kenta Maeda for the righty-righty matchup.
Gattis grounded to short, forcing Reddick. Gattis just beat the throw to first.
George Springer singled into the hole at short. Runners at first and second, one out.
Alex Bregman flied to center, with Derek Fisher, who ran for Gattis, taking third.
Jose Altuve grounded to third. Nice stop by Justin Turner and nice dig by Cody Bellinger at first.
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Dodgers take 2-1 lead in bottom of sixth
Bottom of the sixth.
Austin Barnes singled to left.
Chase Utley was hit by a pitch.
Chris Taylor doubled to right, scoring Barnes. Utley to third.
Corey Seager flied to deep right, scoring Utley, Taylor to third.
Justin Turner popped to first.
Cody Bellinger struck out swinging.
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Astros blow great scoring opportunity in top of the sixth
Top of the sixth.
Jose Altuve struck out.
Carlos Correa struck out swinging.
Yuli Gurriel singled to center.
And that’s it for Brandon Morrow. Tony Watson is coming in to pitch, and Chase Utley is coming in to play second.
Brian McCann was hit by a pitch. Runners at first and second, two out.
Marwin Gonzalez lined to second.
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Best friends since high school still share their passion for the Dodgers
Robert Lee wore bull horns on his head, a red matador cape and a Kirk Gibson Dodgers jersey.
It was Halloween at the World Series.
Much like the Dodgers’ bullpen, “I’m bringing the horns!” the 38-year-old Torrance resident said, laughing.
Lee came to Game 6 with Susan Kim, who has been his best friend since they attended Torrance High School together. Back then, they had something in common: their love of the Dodgers.
Kim, 37, wore a bright-blue wig on her head. It was her “postseason wig,” she said. She wore it to a game in last year’s National League Championship Series that the Dodgers lost.
“If they lose tonight, I’m going to throw it away,” she said. “I’m going to have to reevaluate the wig.”
She was just a kid during the 1988 World Series but remembers her parents having it on TV in the living room. And she remembers Kirk Gibson’s home run.
“Even at that young age, I cried,” she said. “I knew it was something special.”
She and Lee were nervous about Game 6, in which the Dodgers trailed 1-0 going into the sixth inning.
“This is a critical game,” Kim said. “We’re either going to see someone win the World Series, or we’re going to see the boys move on.”
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It’s still 1-0 Astros through five innings
Bottom of the fifth.
Yasiel Puig struck out.
Joc Pederson popped to shallow left.
Logan Forsythe struck out swinging.
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Astros leave bases loaded in top of fifth
Top of the fifth.
Brian McCann singled to right.
Marwin Gonzalez doubled down the left-field line, McCann to third.
Josh Reddick struck out swinging.
Justin Verlander struck out looking.
George Springer was walked intentionally to load the bases.
And that’s it for Rich Hill. Brandon Morrow is now pitching.
Alex Bregman grounded to short.
Astros lost a chance to blow the game open.
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They dressed appropriately for the occasion
Dodgers fans show their team and Halloween pride ahead of Game 6 of the 2018 World Series.
For Juliet Diaz as well as her mom and sister, there was one appropriate costume for coming to Dodger Stadium on Halloween night.
They came dressed as Dodger dogs.
They have ... relished ... their time watching the Dodgers this postseason, and they traveled to Houston to see Game 4, which the Dodgers won.
They all watched Game 5 from home, nerves rattled, stress levels high.
“I’m nervous,” Diaz, 30, of Reseda, said of Game 6. “But I’m pretty confident.”
Her mom, Cathy Shapiro, who lives in Ventura County, said she initially went upstairs to bed during the nearly 5 1/2-hour game Sunday night but came running back down when she heard her husband screaming.
She’s been a fan since she was a child. She came to her first game at Dodger Stadium when she was 7 years old.
The opponent? The Houston Astros.
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Justin Verlander is on his game through four innings
Bottom of the fourth.
Corey Seager flied to right.
Justin Turner struck out swinging.
Cody Bellinger struck out swinging.
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It’s still 1-0 Astros after quick top of the fourth
Top of the fourth.
Jose Altuve grounded to short.
Carlos Correa flied to center.
Yuli Gurriel flied to right.
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Dodgers go down quietly in bottom of third
Bottom of the third.
Austin Barnes grounded to second.
Rich Hill struck out swinging.
Chris Taylor struck out looking.
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Astros take 1-0 lead in top of the third
Top of the third.
Josh Reddick popped to shallow center.
Justin Verlander struck out swinging.
George Springer homered to right.
Alex Bregman grounded to short. Corey Seager booted it but recovered in time to barely throw him out.
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Watch Tommy Lasorda and Orel Hershiser throw out the first pitch
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Still no score through two innings
Bottom of the second.
Cody Bellinger struck out swinging.
Yasiel Puig singled to center. George Springer at first broke back, and when he reversed course he couldn’t make the play.
Joc Pederson struck out looking.
Logan Forsythe flied to right.
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Trick-or-treating will just have to wait for one Dodgers fan
Eight-year-old Conner Abboud had a big decision to make Tuesday.
Go trick-or-treating? Or go to Game 6 of the World Series?
The third-grader opted for baseball.
Conner came to the Fall Classic dressed as Justin Turner. He wore a red wig and a bushy, red beard that was, he admitted, a little itchy.
Turner is his favorite player.
“He hits a lot of home runs,” Conner said.
As for scoring Halloween candy, Conner won’t miss out because he has good neighbors. The family lives on a cul-de-sac in Ventura, explained his mom, Cheri, and they are going to let Conner trick-or-treat Wednesday night.
He’ll be dressed as Rocky Balboa, with a black eye and scratches.
Conner hopes the Dodgers don’t look the same way after tonight.
“I just hope they win the World Series,” he said.
There were several other fans dressed as Justin Turner walking around the stadium Tuesday night. They were men and women, boys and girls.
Here, at least, the red beard is the must-have for the Halloween season.
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Astros don’t score in top of second inning
Top of the second inning.
Yuli Gurriel popped to first. Loud boos for Gurriel.
Brian McCann flied to left.
Marwin Gonzalez grounded to third.
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Dodgers go down in order in bottom of first
Bottom of the first.
Chris Taylor flied to right.
Corey Seager struck out looking.
Justin Turner popped to third.
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Astros don’t score in first inning
World Series Game 6. Rich Hill vs. Justin Verlander. Here we go.
George Springer struck out looking.
Alex Bregman singled to left.
Jose Altuve struck out swinging.
Carlos Correa grounded to third, forcing Bregman. Hill is throwing harder than normal tonight.
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Dodgers fans show off their team pride and Halloween spirit
Dodgers fans show their team and Halloween pride ahead of Game 6 of the 2018 World Series.
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Look for a lower-scoring game with weather unseasonably cool
It was 67 degrees at Dodger Stadium when the Dodgers’ Rich Hill threw the first pitch of Game 6 on Tuesday. That’s nearly 40 degrees cooler than it was when the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw threw the first pitch of Game 1 a week ago.
That will make a difference in how the game unfolds, said Bill Patzert, a NASA climatologist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena.
“A total turnaround from last week,” Patzert said. “That’s below normal for late October. The advantage definitely goes back to the pitchers. The ball will not carry as far.”
It was 93 degrees at the start of Game 2 last week, and, partly as a result, 11 home runs were hit in the first two games.
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This paramedic is hoping Game 6 will be easier on the hearts of Dodgers fans
Matt Juline knows what he’s talking about when he says this bonkers World Series between the Dodgers and the Houston Astros is bad for fans’ hearts.
He’s a helicopter paramedic.
And a longtime Dodgers fan.
Juline, 31, was on call Sunday night in Palm Springs, watching Game 5 with a pilot and a nurse. The insane game was essentially a 5 hour and 17 minute cardiac event for Juline.
“I probably had five or six mini heart attacks,” he said. “My heart rate was through the roof.”
He hooked himself up to a heart monitor just to see the effect the game was having on him. His resting heart rate is usually around 70 beats per minute. During the game, it went up to 110.
Juline’s pilot is, unfortunately, an Angels fan, he said. Both the pilot and nurse were rooting against him.
Juline was feeling nervous before Game 6, which he was attending with his dad, Rich, a carpenter from Monrovia.
Rich bought a stack of World Series programs and wrapped them with plastic bags to protect them from spilled beer at the stadium. It was a first World Series game for father and son, who don’t know when or if they’ll get to see another.
Before the game Tuesday, the crowd was more subdued than at earlier home games. Lines outside the stadium shops were shorter.
And the nerves were on full display.
In the corridors were mutters of “have to win” and “do or die.”
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It’s rally towel time
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These Astros fans are back in L.A. after scoring Game 6 tickets
Astros fans Jay and ReeRee Friedman came to Dodger Stadium last Wednesday hoping to score two tickets to Game 2 of the World Series and see a win before the team went back to Texas.
They settled for the win after the price of tickets went north of $800.
After the Dodgers blew three different leads in their Game 5 loss Sunday, Jay looked online and found tickets for Game 6 back in Los Angeles dropping toward the $500 range. The couple scored a pair and booked a flight to L.A.
Prices were still dropping to as low as $300 on some sites before game time.
“That blows my mind,” he said. “It’s like day trading a penny stock.”
“What kind of fans you got here in L.A.?” he said with a hoot.
There were certainly more Astros fans in the streets around Echo Park compared to last Wednesday. About a dozen walked by the Friedmans on Sunset Boulevard as they talked to this reporter for a couple of minutes.
“We’ve seen 1,000 more Astros fans,” Jay said.
And after watching the Astros and Dodgers slug it out this series, he is done making predictions.
“There are no rules anymore,” he said.
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These two Dodgers fans are no longer strangers
Joe Martinez, 70, sat back in a lawn chair on the patio of his big, green home on Sunset Boulevard just blocks from Dodger Stadium and took a sip from his beer.
Martinez had never met Terry Morris, a 54-year-old from Fresno, before Tuesday, but as Morris walked by his house on the way to Dodger Stadium, he offered him a Hangar 24 beer from his cooler and the two started talking Dodgers baseball.
Martinez has the edge on Morris — after all, he has been in the neighborhood since before the Dodgers.
He grew up with his mom, seven brothers and two sisters in a house around the corner on Everett Street on a hill overlooking Chavez Ravine.
Except there wasn’t a stadium there yet.
“I was a kid looking for a place to play, and Dodger Stadium was just an enormous hill, like a mountain,” he said. “And one day the city told us we had to stop playing there.”
He remembers when homes in Chavez Ravine were being bought and the last of the evictions in the area happened.
“It was chaos,” he said.
But his family stayed in the area, along Everett Street’s big, teardrop-shaped park.
And he became a die-hard Dodgers fan, from Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax to Fernando Valenzuela and Orel Hershiser.
“I’ve seen them all play,” he said before rising from his seat and running into his house.
He came back with a seat cushion signed by Vin Scully when the Mets beat the Dodgers on Aug. 19, 1986.
The retired driver leaned back in his chair as the long line of cars trickled into the stadium, many honking at the sight of Morris and Martinez enjoying beers in front of large Dodgers flags with Martinez’s dog, Puppy, nearby.
“This is the best spot,” he said. “Lot of good memories around here. But I’m the only one left. All my friends from around here are dead or in jail.”
He figured the Dodgers have two more wins left in them now that they are back at home.
Morris added, “We got this.”
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Happy Halloween from Dodger Stadium
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Lance McCullers Jr. could pitch in relief for Astros tonight
In the American League Division Series, Houston Astros manager A.J. Hinch made a curious choice, electing to use Justin Verlander out of the bullpen in Game 4, rendering his ace unavailable to pitch in a potential fifth game.
There was no fifth game. Verlander closed out the series victory for the Astros. In tonight’s sixth game of the World Series at Dodger Stadium, which Verlander will start, Hinch could do something similar. Lance McCullers Jr. is his scheduled Game 7 starter, but he could appear in relief of Verlander to secure a win.
The rest of the Astros’ bullpen is one great uncertainty, and McCullers has impressed this postseason. It would be short rest, but he pitched on short rest to finish off Game 7 of the American League Championship Series.
“I think it’s a possibility,” Hinch said. “I think all bets are off. You just try to win the game. I think saving things for the unknown is probably not the way to go.
“But, obviously it starts with Verlander. We’ll see what he can give and how long he can be in the game.”
Hinch said the National League rules here will make his decision more difficult. They may force Verlander’s exit earlier than intended. Or Hinch could favor his most reliable pitcher over offense.
“I think you play to win the game tonight,” Hinch said. “I think if you complicate it and try to manage two games at once, you’ll find yourself having two games.”
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Yu Darvish says Yuli Gurriel doesn’t need to apologize to him
Yuli Gurriel still hasn’t apologized in person to Yu Darvish for making a racially insensitive gesture after hitting a home run against him in Game 3 of the World Series.
Darvish said he told the Houston Astros first baseman it was “completely unnecessary.”
“When a Dodgers staffer told me what was happening, at the time, it’s not like I was that irritated by it,” Darvish said in Japanese. “About the extent of my reaction was me telling [interpreter Hideaki] Sato, ‘He did something he shouldn’t have done. This is going to be a problem, isn’t it?’ But I wasn’t angry at all.”
Gurriel reached out to Darvish the day after the incident, saying he wanted to meet so he could apologize face to face.
“I was told the next day told he wanted to speak to me, and I communicated to him that it was completely unnecessary and that I wasn’t bothered by it,” Darvish said. “Even now, I’m not bothered by it at all.”
Darvish was born in Japan to an Iranian father and Japanese mother. He said he considers racial discrimination to be a serious problem.
Gurriel received a five-game suspension, which he will serve at the start of next season. Asked if he thought Gurriel received a sufficient punishment, Darvish replied, “It hasn’t really been explained to me, so I don’t know how to judge it.”
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Dave Roberts talks about Rich Hill and Kenley Jansen ahead of Game 6
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It’s almost time for Dodger baseball
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There could be some tricks, and hopefully some treats, in Game 6
I walked into Dodger Stadium on this Halloween afternoon and immediately ran into a woman wearing a Clayton Kershaw jersey while dressed like a bear.
He won’t be available tonight.
A quick glance in the stands shows lots of people dressed up in the bright orange of Houston Astros fans.
Yeah, sigh, their team will be here.
Common sense says there will be no way Game 6 of this World Series between the Dodgers and Astros can match the previous games for drama and suspense. The eyeball test would tell you that this could simply be a nine-inning coronation for a Houston team whose young stars seem impervious to pressure.
But this being Halloween, spooky things could happen.
Justin Verlander, the Astros ace who has lasted at least six innings in each of his four postseason starts, could finally get hit hard by a Dodgers offense that found itself in the last two games in Houston.
Rich Hill, the Dodgers starter who has yet to even be allowed to pitch into the sixth inning in his three postseason starts, could finally be stretched out in the wake of the exhausted Dodgers bullpen and be allowed to create the same sort of magic he carried into the postseason with a 1.86 September ERA.
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Brian McCann is living the suite life with Astros
This is catcher Brian McCann’s first season with the Houston Astros. So, in an effort to get to know his new teammates, when the team was rained out of an April game in Oakland, he bought a luxury suite for a Golden State Warriors’ playoff game and hosted a boys’ night out.
He did the same thing Monday night in Los Angeles, renting a suite at Staples Center for the Clippers’ game against Golden State.
“I’ve never seen anything like it. And I’ve been on a lot of teams, and winning teams will always brag about their chemistry and the culture and the camaraderie,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “To live it is pretty special.
“We had a mixture of guys: We had some core guys that had come back from our ’15 and ’16 team. We had some veterans, like [Carlos] Beltran and McCann and [Josh] Reddick. We had some guys that were making our team for the first time, guys like [Alex] Bregman and [Yuli] Gurriel. So it contributes at some level.”
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Here is the Game 6 lineup for the Dodgers
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Here is the Astros’ Game 6 lineup
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Rich Hill discusses his crucial Game 6 start
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A.J. Hinch is bonding with his family during the World Series
The toughest postseason decision Houston manager A.J. Hinch had to make had nothing to do with pitching changes or setting a lineup. But what has kept him up at night is his decision to take daughters Hailey and Kaitlin out of school to accompany their dad on the Astros’ playoff run.
“They’ve been to school six days this month, which is hard for me,” Hinch said Tuesday. “A Stanford grad, it’s hard for me to pull my kids out of school.”
Which isn’t to say the girls aren’t getting an education. Hinch said the once-in-a-lifetime chance to experience a World Series from the inside is something no one in his family will forget.
“There’s so much of this story behind the scenes. All of us in baseball cherish our families and what they sacrifice for us to live out this dream and do this crazy stuff.”
There was one drawback, though: The girls had to celebrate Halloween at the team hotel Tuesday.
“The trick-or-treating in the hotel will suffice because I think this is special circumstances. So is missing school,” Hinch said. “But you should stay in school.”
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Dodgers need the home crowd to give them an extra shot of energy
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Dave Roberts’ managing skills will be tested in Game 6
For Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, running a game borders on a religious experience in that it’s an act of faith.
Faith in his players. Faith in the organization’s system.
His convictions have been tested a number of times this year. Roberts stayed the course, as he likes to say, and was rewarded with the organization’s first pennant in 29 years.
The ultimate test is coming up. Tuesday, the Dodgers host the Houston Astros in Game 6 of the World Series. The Dodgers are behind in the best-of-seven series, three games to two, and a loss here will crown their opponent as champion.
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This World Series deserves a Game 7
The World Series is driving you bonkers, and there’s nothing you can do about it.
Every time you think the Dodgers have won, some wide-eyed Houston Astro swings from his fancy cleats, clangs a ball into a bleacher and dances all over your heart.
Every time you think the Dodgers have lost, Cody bellows or Corey flexes or Puig becomes Puiiiiig and suddenly you’re clutching that scratchy rally towel and tugging on that faded blue T-shirt and hopping around the middle of your living room to the rattling of your Vin bobblehead.
You scream, you groan, you nearly pass out twice, then, early Monday morning in Houston, your world is turned upside down when the series shifts on a 10th-inning Astros single that scores a guy named, yes, Lakers fans, Derek Fisher.
The Astros’ memorable, painful 13-12 victory over the Dodgers in Game 5 was yet another example of a week filled with both miraculous drama and unabashed kookiness. And though you can’t take it anymore, you also can’t get enough.
This cannot yet be declared the best World Series ever, if only because there are still two games remaining, beginning Tuesday night in Game 6 at Dodger Stadium with the Astros leading three games to two.
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Dodgers stick to their process
Weary, wounded and trailing in the World Series by a 3-2 margin, the Dodgers straggled onto a plane headed from Houston to Los Angeles in the early hours Monday.
As he surveyed the group, manager Dave Roberts searched for signs of optimism after three harrowing games at Minute Maid Park, a mini-series that concluded with a marathon 13-12 defeat in Game 5 on Sunday.
“I think guys are looking forward to getting back home,” he said later.
The prospect of a game at Dodger Stadium sounded welcome. Another night with the Astros offered less appeal. During the first five games, Houston’s offense has punctured holes in Roberts’ decision-making process, which he followed successfully throughout a record regular season but has led to gut-wrenching defeats in Game 2 and Game 5.
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Astros win, 13-12
Bottom of the 10th. Kenley Jansen still pitching.
Evan Gattis grounded to third.
Marwin Gonzalez struck out swinging.
Brian McCann was hit by a pitch.
George Springer walked.
Alex Bregman singled to left, scoring Derek Fisher, who ran for McCann. Astros win, 13-12.
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Dodgers don’t score in top of the 10th
Top of the 10th. Joe Musgrove pitching. Maybin to center. Springer to right. Reddick to left. Gonzalez to first.
Justin Turner hit a shot to left that Reddick caught.
Andre Ethier singled to left.
Cody Bellinger flied to right-center, Maybin making the catch.
This game is now five hours old.
Logan Forsythe grounded to short, forcing Ethier.
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Astros don’t score in bottom of ninth
Bottom of the ninth. Kenley Jansen now pitching.
Jose Altuve flied to center.
Carlos Correa popped to first. Bellinger had to lean into the crowd to get it. Great play.
Yuli Gurriel doubled to left-center. Cameron Maybin comes in to run for Gurriel.
Josh Reddick flied to left.
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Dodgers tie it on Chris Taylor’s single. It’s now 12-12
Top of the ninth. Chris Devenski still pitching.
Cody Bellinger walked.
Logan Forsythe struck out swinging.
Yasiel Puig homered to left. Unbelievable game.
Austin Barnes doubled to left-center. He barely beat the throw.
Joc Pederson grounded to short, Barnes to third.
Chris Taylor singled up the middle. 12-12.
Corey Seager flied to center.
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Need a note for school? MLB has you covered.
With Sunday’s Game 5 going well past midnight on the East Coast, Major League Baseball has provided a great letter you can fill in and use as an excused absence from school tomorrow.