They waited too long and this World Series would have been over.
Correa and Alex Bregman were stunned by Adam Duvall’s grand slam in their first inning. They ended their slumps quickly. They didn't let their season slip away, and they kept swinging. The Atlanta Braves beat them 9-5 on Monday morning to reduce their Series deficit to 3-3.
Although the Braves may not admit that it was a crushing defeat, Brian Snitker, 66 years old manager, is too steady to allow such a loss. This had to hurt, regardless of how you measure it in the Analytics Age.
"I'm glad that we can go back to Houston. Astros skipper Dusty Baker stated that this was their goal today.
After being moved to third base for Game 5, Correa had three hits, while Bregman was moved to seventh. Martin Maldonado tried three different approaches to scoring runs, while pinch-hitter Marwin Gonzalo scored a two-out run and two-run single in Game 5 for a 7-5 lead.
The first high-scoring Fall Classic game featured a matchup between bullpens. This year's highest-scoring majors team won it.
The Astros couldn't be held down forever, as a parade Braves pitchers discovered.
"We have a clubhouse filled with bad guys in there. Correa stated that our roster is very diverse.
Correa attracted attention earlier in the postseason by pointing at his wrist to mark big hits. He said that he was calculating his time.
Star shortstop Jose Altuve doubled and singled twice, scoring two runs. The eighth run was padded by Jose Altuve's RBI single. After Jose Altuve received congratulations in the dugout, Fox TV microphones heard someone shouting "It is time!"
The Astros lost 3-2 to the Astros on night prior, going 0 for 8. With runners scoring, they were 0 for 8. Correa was now at 2 for 14, while Bregman is at 1 for 14.
Correa stated, "Before we played, we spoke and we said, We are not gonna quit,'" "We're going to go out there fighting."
Atlanta was 7-0 at home in postseason play, and a large crowd gathered outside Truist Park hoping to celebrate the team's first championship since 1995.
Snitker stated, "If we win World Series it doesn't really matter where it's at." "I would have loved to do it in front our fans. We will do it in the next few days.
Duvall's slam sent twelve Braves careening towards the dugout in a frenzy full of dancing, twirling, and hollering.
We celebrated it. We were excited and that's what happens when you hit home runs. But it's a long game. This happened in the bottom half of the first. Duvall stated that it was a nine-inning game and that they didn't give up.
Any victory party was premature, even though Freddie Freeman's long homer had put Atlanta 5-4 ahead
Instead, the Astros managed to calm those Braves fans and pull off a huge comeback to stay on top.
To win it all, the Astros will need a bigger team.
Houston's Game 6 will be played Tuesday night.
Since the 2013 Red Sox, no team has won a World Series at their home. Altuve and Astros must win at least twice at Minute Maid Park to be able to do it. The last team to overcome a 3-1 Series deficit in 2016 was the Cubs against Cleveland.
Only once in history has an elimination team in the World Series staged a greater rally. It was five runs by the Angels against Baker's Giants team in Game 6.
After Duvall tagged Framber Valldez, the Astros fell to 4-0. They began to chip away at surprise starter Tucker Davidson.
A week ago, the rookie was not even on the postseason roster. He was enjoying a relaxing evening at an Atlanta hotel, eating a takeout meal from The Cheesecake Factory. After watching Game 1 starter Charlie Morton get injured, he joined the Braves in Houston the next day.
Houston was not buying it.
Bregman started things off with an RBI double by Bregman that ended the Astros' drought with runners in scoring position. Maldonado was also 4 for 41 in that postseason. A sacrifice fly followed that brought them to 4-2.
Houston tied the game in the third with a shortstop error by Dansby Swanson. Altuve reached on the error and Michael Brantley walked to end Davidson's day. Jesse Chavez was relieved by Correa, who welcomed him with an RBI double and Yuli Gurriel's run-scoring grounder. It was 4-all.
Freeman tied it just moments later and connected for a 460-foot homerun that was his longest in his career.
The Astros were not going to be quiet after they finally got loose at the plate.
In the fifth, singles by Gurriel and Correa as well as a Bregman two-out intentional walk loaded the bases. A.J. Lefty reliever A.J. Gonzalez relieved Minter for a walk that tied the game. Gonzalez singled for first.
In the seventh, Maldonado scored an RBI single and Correa extended his lead in the eighth.
Jose Urquidy pitched a scoreless relief inning to win his second Series victory. This is the first time since Randy Johnson in Arizona 2001 that a pitcher has earned a spot in both the starter and reliever positions in the Fall Classic.
Kendall Graveman and Phil Maton pitched two shutout innings.
Minter lost the match.
ROAD TRIP
Houston was the first team to win Game 5, on the road, after trailing 3-1 in World Series games since 1992 Braves in Toronto.
IN A PINCH
Zack Greinke, Astros right-hander, got the first ever pinch-hit by an American League pitcher during the World Series. He lined a single in the fourth. When he began Game 4, he also scored a hit.
Jack Bentley, a New York Giants pinch-hitter, was the first to hit the Series. After batting.427 in the regular season, Bentley scored two against the Yankees.
UP NEXT
Braves: LHP Max Fried has been fully rested and is ready for Game 6. After an excellent season, he was hurt in Game 2. It was his second consecutive game of shaky starts.
Astros: Baker stated that Houston would likely travel with rookie Luis Garcia for three days' rest.
