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Atlanta Braves Jorge Soler was named the MVP of the World Series.
Soler becomes just the second Cuban to win the World Series MVP. Marlins pitcher Livan Hernandez won the award in 1997.
Soler delivered three go-ahead home runs for his team during the World Series. His first home run of the series came in the first at-bat of Game 1 — the first time that a player has ever led off a World Series Game 1 with a homer.
Soler turned heads when he blasted a three-run home run in the top of the third inning of the decisive Game 6 off Astros starter Luis Garcia to give the Braves the lead. While Statcast measured that the distance of Soler’s homer was 446 feet, his moonshot sailed out of the ballpark, reminding baseball fans of when Albert Pujols launched a similar-looking home run off Astros closer Brad Lidge in the 2005 National League Championship Series in the same stadium.
Soler is the fourth Brave to have three home runs in a single World Series, joining Hank Aaron (1957), Lonnie Smith (1991) and Ryan Klesko (1995).
For only the second time since the franchise relocated to Atlanta in 1966, the Braves are World Series champions.
Paced by three home runs, and backed by six shutout innings from starter Max Fried, the Braves defeat the Houston Astros 7-0 in Game 6, in the process capturing the crown that had eluded them since 1995.
Designated hitter Jorge Soler, acquired from the Kansas City Royals on July 30, started the scoring off with a bang in the 3rd, launching a towering, 446-foot 3-run homer over the train tracks in left field. Two frames later, shortstop Dansby Swanson followed with a 2-run shot of his own, staking Fried to a comfortable five-run cushion that he’d never relinquish.
Touched up by the Astros for six runs in a Game 2 start, the 27-year-old southpaw rebounded in dramatic fashion for Game 6, scattering four hits over six innings, striking out six Astros, and walking none while failing to allow a single run. Fried’s outing marked the longest by a starter, for either team, in the 2021 World Series.
The World Series title is a surprising one for a team that lost its best position player on July 10 when All-Star outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. went down with a season-ending knee injury. Atlanta finished the regular season with only 88 wins, fewer than 11 other teams in baseball. And the odds further stacked up against the Braves when Game 1 starting pitcher Charlie Morton broke his leg in just the second inning, ending his World Series. One man who the Braves were never without, however, is Freddie Freeman. And now Freeman’s long wait for a title is over.
Drafted by the Braves in 2007, and called up in September of 2010, Freeman has spent more than a decade with the franchise, a run that included a handful of lean years. But Freeman stayed true to the team that chose him, and in Game 6 the Atlanta veteran chipped in with a 5th inning RBI double. Two frames later, Freeman put a stamp on what is likely a Hall of Fame resume, belting the Braves’ third homer of the game, and extending Atlanta’s lead to 7-0.
A pair of Atlanta relief pitchers — in the form of Tyler Matzek and Will Smith — combined to work a scoreless final three frames, clinching the 7-0 victory and ending a title drought that stretched back more than a quarter-century.
Soler, who launched three World Series home runs — all of which gave the Braves the lead — earned MVP honors, while outfielder Joc Pederson — who was with the world champion LA Dodgers a year ago — wins back-to-back World Series.
The Atlanta Braves beat the Houston Astros in the 2021 World Series.
The Braves take the best-of-seven series 4-2.
It is Atlanta’s first World Series title since 1995.
It’s the Houston Astros’ last chance in Game 6. They have a lot of work to do. Houston is trailing 7-0 going into their last at-bat.
Michael Brantley, Carlos Correa and Yordan Alvarez due up for the Astros.
Braves reliever Tyler Matzek put in two shutout innings of work in the 7th and 8th inning to preserve Atlanta’s 7-0 lead in Game 6.
Matzek took over for starter Max Fried, who was lights-out tonight, pitching six scoreless innings for the Braves.
Matzek struck out four and gave up just one hit. He struck out the side in the 8th.
The Braves are now three outs away from the World Series title.
Freddie Freeman made his Major League debut with the Braves in September of 2010. It’s been a long 11-year wait, but he’s now less than 9 outs away from acquiring the sole missing piece on his likely Hall of Fame resume.
With his mammoth 7th inning blast, Freeman extends Atlanta’s Game 6 lead to 7-0, in the process bringing that elusive World Series title that much closer.
On the night, six of the Braves’ 7 runs have come courtesy of the long ball, as Freeman followed teammate Jorge Soler and Dansby Swanson’s earlier dingers.
It’s now 7-0 Braves as the Astros bat in the bottom of the 7th.
With Atlanta Braves Jorge Soler’s latest home run in Game 6 of the 2021 World Series, the Cuban-born outfielder becomes the fourth Braves player to hit 3 home runs in a single World Series.
Soler joined Hank Aaron (1957), Lonnie Smith (1991), and Ryan Klesko (1995) on the list.
The Atlanta Braves are nine outs away from the World Series title.
Atlanta’s starter has delivered for his team tonight. Max Fried has thrown six scoreless innings, allowing just four singles, no walks and striking out six batters.
Atlanta 6, Houston 0.
The Braves are starting to taste it.
One win away from the franchise’s first title in more than a quarter-century, an RBI double by Atlanta mainstay Freddie Freeman extends the Braves’ lead to 6-0 in the 5th.
Freeman’s blast to left field was deep enough to allow Jorge Soler to score all the way from first, chasing Astros reliever Blake Taylor, and bringing in Houston’s fifth pitcher of the game, Phil Maton.
Freeman’s RBI comes three batters after shortstop Dansby Swanson belted a 2-run shot to put the Braves up 5-0.
It’s now 6-0 Atlanta, as Houston bats in the bottom of the 5th.
Dansby Swanson to Jorge Soler? “I see you.”
Two frames after Soler’s smash to left field, Atlanta’s shortstop added one of his own, extending the Braves lead to 5-0.
Batting with a man on and one out, Swanson launched Christan Javier’s offering 411-feet. Swanson has a pair of home runs this World Series, both coming at the expense of Javier.
The Braves’ last 12 runs have come via the long ball.
Seeking their first championship since 1995, Atlanta leads 5-0 in the 5th.
Atlanta starter Max Fried has looked sharp through four scoreless innings tonight.
In the bottom of the fourth, Houston shortstop Carlos Correa led off with a flare to right field that dropped in for a base hit. But Fried got the next man up, Yordan Alvarez, to ground into a double play. Yuli Gurriel then grounded out to end the inning.
Fried has kept the Astros scoreless and given up just three hits while striking out two. His team is up 3-0 heading to the 5th inning.
Braves designated hitter Jorge Soler just hit a ball into the Houston sky that may not have landed yet.
Facing Astros starter Luis Garcia with two men on, two outs, and a full count, Soler launched a 446-foot, 3-run homer to left field, giving Atlanta an early lead, and chasing Garcia from the ball game.
Garcia had been perfect through the first two innings of Game 6, but he allowed a leadoff single to Atlanta second baseman Ozzie Albies, and later walked left fielder Eddie Rosario to set up Soler’s smash.
It’s currently 3-0 Braves in the bottom of the 3rd.
Luis Garcia sat the Braves down 1-2-3 in the top half of the first. He got some help from right-fielder Kyle Tucker who made a nice diving snag on a sinking line drive by Atlanta’s leadoff man Eddie Rosario. Garcia struck out the next two batters — Jorge Soler and Freddie Freeman — to close out the frame.
Atlanta starter Max Fried faced some trouble in the bottom of the inning. Leadoff man Jorge Altuve reached on an infield hit. Then Michael Brantley got on with a soft hit ground ball to first that nearly ended in injury for Fried. While covering first base, Fried missed the bag and Brantley was called safe. The replay showed that Brantley also missed the base and stepped on Fried’s ankle.
After a quick check on Fried’s ankle, he went back to work with two on and nobody out. Fried got Carlos Correa to strike out for the first out of the inning. Yordan Alvarez, who has struggled in the World Series, batting just .063 coming into tonight, grounded out. Fried then got Yuli Gurriel, the reigning AL batting champ, to strike out and get out of the jam.
We’re scoreless in the 2nd inning.
Play ball! Game 6 of the World Series starts now at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas.
Luis Garcia is on the mound for the home team. He faces Eddie Rosario, Jorge Soler and Freddie Freeman at the top of the Atlanta Braves lineup.
As the Atlanta Braves face off against the Houston Astros in tonight’s Game 6 of the World Series, Game 5 had a few historical moments, one was outfielder Adam Duvall’s Grand Slam.
When Duvall to Houston’s Framber Valdez deep in the first inning he became just the third player in World Series history with a first-inning Grand Slam.
The outfielder’s homer put the Braves up in the first inning against the Astros. However, Atlanta could not pull out a victory, losing to the Astros 9-5 in Atlanta.
Right-hander Luis Garcia gets the ball for Houston in Game 6. The 24-year-old Venezuelan is starting on short rest (three days). Garcia allowed one run on three hits with four walks and six strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings in Game 3 on Friday.
Atlanta will turn to left-hander Max Fried to start tonight. The 27-year-old had a tough outing in Game 2, giving up six runs on seven hits in 5-plus innings.
Houston manager Dusty Baker leaves Alex Bregman in the 7th slot tonight after moving him down from 3rd in the lineup due to some struggles at the plate. Hitting in the No. 7 spot on Sunday, Bregman appeared to shake the dust off his bat, going 2-for-4 with an RBI.
For Atlanta, left-handed hitter Eddie Rosario is back in the leadoff spot with righty Luis Garcia getting the start for Houston. Ozzie Albies moves down to the 7th hole.
Here are the starting lineups for both teams in Game 6:
Atlanta Braves:
Houston Astros:
With the Houston Astros Game 5 victory over the Atlanta Braves in the 2021 World Series, they joined a rare club of teams with historic comeback victories when facing elimination.
The Astros recorded the second largest turnaround in MLB history by overcoming a four run deficit to win a game where a team faced elimination. They share the record with the 1925 Pittsburgh Pirates, who overcame the same deficit in Game 7 and the 1919 Chicago White Sox, who came back to win in Game 6.
The first pitch of Game 6 of the 2021 World Series is set for tonight at 8:09 PM ET.
Astros pitcher Jose Urquidy’s three career World Series wins are the most by any foreign-born player in MLB history.
The 26-year-old Mexican right-hander got his first World Series win as a rookie for the Astros in 2019. Two years later, Urquidy has two wins through the first five games of the 2021 World Series.
In Game 2, Urquidy got the W in Houston’s 7-2 victory over Atlanta. He pitched five innings, gave up two runs on five hits and struck out seven.
Then, with Game 5 hanging in the balance, Astros manager turned to Urquidy for some rare work out of the bullpen in the 4th inning on Sunday night.
Urquidy allowed a leadoff single to Braves catcher Travis d’Arnaud but then retired the next three batters he faced to keep the game at 5-4.
Houston went on to win the game 9-5 and Urquidy got the win.
The Atlanta Braves are just one win away from the franchise’s first MLB championship since 1995.
On Sunday night, with their team leading 3-1 in the best-of-seven series, the Braves failed to seal the deal in Game 5 in Atlanta. The loss marked the Braves’ first defeat at home this postseason.
The Braves get two more chances to take the title in Game 6 tonight or, if necessary, in Game 7 on Wednesday.
The loss marks the Braves’ first defeat at home this postseason, and if Atlanta is to win the World Series, they’ll be forced to do so in opponent territory.
Both Game 6 on Tuesday, and if necessary, Game 7 will be held in Houston.
