Dodger bullpen forces Game 7
LOS ANGELES — Chris Taylor, Corey Seager and the Los Angeles Dodgers sent this twist-and-turn World Series to Game 7, rallying against Justin Verlander to beat the Houston Astros 3-1 Tuesday night.
A comeback win in Game 6 on Halloween night gave fans at Dodger Stadium and beyond a true treat: A year after the Cubs beat Cleveland in a Game 7 thriller, the baseball season is going the distance.
Yu Darvish will start for Los Angeles. Astros manager A.J. Hinch didn’t announce a starter before Game 6, wanting to see how things went. It will be Charlie Morton or Lance McCullers Jr., most likely.
Verlander dominated for five innings, but the Dodgers got him in the sixth. Chris Taylor hit a tying double and Corey Seager had a sacrifice fly for a 2-1 lead.
Joc Pederson hit his third Series homer in the seventh for insurance and took an animated trot around the bases. George Springer hit his fourth Series homer for Houston.
Los Angeles took a 3-1 lead into the ninth inning after Dodgers manager Dave Roberts went against his pregame instinct and brought in closer Kenley Jansen in the eighth inning.
The Dodgers’ usually dominant closer had struggled in similar situations in Game 2 and again in Game 5. Roberts claimed that he hoped to limit Jansen to three outs in this game.
But Jansen mowed down the Astros’ 4-5-6 hitters with seven pitches in the eighth. He retired the side in order in the ninth, striking out the last two.
