There’s a reason why players and fans endure Major League Baseball’s grueling seven-month, 162-game schedule. It’s for games like Wednesday night.
The Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers delivered one of the most entertaining postseason contests in recent memory in Game 2 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium.
The star of the show, as it’s been all year, was the long ball: Houston and L.A. combined for an incredible eight home runs in the 11-inning, seesaw affair, the biggest a George Springer two-run blast that (barely) sealed the Astros’ 7-6 win.
Lots of heroes tonight.
But Super Springer topped them all! pic.twitter.com/BB6NJ9GiW9
— MLB (@MLB) October 26, 2017
There was a lot to digest in this one — especially if you went to bed before it ended — so let’s put it into perspective with these truly eye-opening stats.
— The teams’ eight combined home runs were the most ever hit in a World Series game. (Eight different players hit those homers, and it was the first World Series homer for each player.)
— Five of those deep balls came in extra innings, marking the most extra-inning homers hit in any MLB game — regular or postseason.
There were 5 combined extra-inning HR, the most in a postseason game. Previous record was 3 by Indians and Red Sox in Game 1 of 1995 ALDS.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 26, 2017
— This might be our favorite stat: Nearly a quarter of all extra-innings homers in World Series history (five of 22) were hit Wednesday night.
22.7% of all extra-inning homers in #WorldSeries history were hit tonight.
— Ryan M. Spaeder (@theaceofspaeder) October 26, 2017
— Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa hit back-to-back jacks in the 10th inning, which marked another World Series first.
Altuve & Correa hit back-to-back homers. The #Astros are the first team in history to hit multiple extra-inning homers in a #WorldSeries.
— Ryan M. Spaeder (@theaceofspaeder) October 26, 2017
— The Astros also accomplished something no other team had done before in the playoffs.
The @Astros are the first team in MLB history to homer in the 9th, 10th and 11th inning of a postseason game.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 26, 2017
— We saved the craziest stat for last, though: Entering Wednesday night, the Dodgers had been literally unbeatable this season when carrying a lead into the eighth inning.
Entering tonight, Dodgers were 98-0 when leading after 8 innings this season (including playoffs). Only team in MLB w/out such a loss.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 26, 2017
That’s why they play the games, folks.
Fortunately for everyone involved, that was just Game 2; the series shifts to Houston for Game 3 on Friday night in what should be another great game between evenly matched teams.
Thumbnail photo via Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports Images
