The 2021 World Series headed back to Houston on Tuesday night after the Astros extended the series with their Game 5 comeback against the Atlanta Baseball Team. Another Atlanta loss would force a decisive Game 7 on Astros turf. Max Fried, Atlanta’s best starter, took the hill to close out the series.
Atlanta wins championship 4-2
W: Fried
L: Luis Garcia
Fried was outstanding. He pitched a quality start, working six scoreless innings with six strikeouts.
Fried’s counterpart, Garcia, was pitching on three days’ rest. He did not allow a hit until the 3rd inning. Ozzie Albies led off the inning with a single to right field. Garcia then retired the next two Atlanta batters until issuing a five-pitch walk to Eddie Rosario. Next up was Jorge Soler, who already had two home runs in the series. After falling behind 3-1, Garcia worked a full count to the Atlanta slugger. After fouling off two pitches, Soler launched an 83.4 mph cutter above the left field train tracks at Minute Maid Park to give Atlanta a 3-0 lead.
Soler’s home run put him in the company of some baseball legends:
Players to hit a 2 out, full count, home run in game 6 of the World Series
Babe Ruth
Jorge Soler#ForTheA #WorldSeries @SlangsOnSports @MLBRandomStatsper @Stathead
— Sam Federman (@Sam_Federman) November 3, 2021
Jorge Soler has now homered 3 times this World Series.
That's tied for the most by a Braves player in a single World Series.
*1995 Ryan Klesko
*1991 Lonnie Smith
*1957 Hank Aaron pic.twitter.com/hT9z8gAsRf— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 3, 2021
Dansby Swanson added two big insurance runs with a home run of his own in the 5th inning.
Freddie Freeman also had two RBI with a 5th inning double and 7th inning solo home run.
Will Smith continued his postseason scoreless streak in the 9th inning to close out Atlanta’s championship run. Canadian-American dual citizen Freeman received the throw from Swanson to record the final out at 1st base and secure the first Atlanta World Series title since 1995.
This was the second Atlanta shutout of the series.
Soler added a second championship ring and a World Series MVP trophy to his hardware collection. He is the second Cuban player to win the World Series MVP award after Liván Hernández in 1997.
¡SOLER POWER! ????
Jorge Soler es el MVP de la #WorldSeries y se convierte en el 2do cubano en ganar el premio, después de Liván Hernández en 1997. #MLBCuba pic.twitter.com/p8HRXh6AQR
— MLB Cuba (@mlbcuba) November 3, 2021
Atlanta’s championship victory is very remarkable considering they won without the contributions of Mike Soroka and Ronald Acuña Jr., who suffered major injuries earlier in the season.
Atlanta lost Ronald Acuña & Mike Soroka to injuries.
Not giving up, they traded for Joc & Eddie Rosario.
By August 6, they were finally above .500. They won their division, then eliminated the Brewers, Dodgers, and Astros.
And now the Braves are WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS pic.twitter.com/CpwTYYaEFQ
— SB Nation (@SBNation) November 3, 2021
This wraps up a very thrilling and dinger-filled postseason in the covidball era, even if the final matchup was not what many fans had hoped for. With a potential labor dispute and work stoppage on the horizon due to the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement, the conclusion of the 2021 World Series may unfortunately be the last time fans will have any good feelings about MLB for several months.
Featured Image: Chicago, IL, August 25, 2018. Major League Baseball Chicago Cubs 2016 World Series Champions Commissioner’s Trophy on display by ChicagoPhotographer / Shutterstock.com.
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