The Houston Astros were able to stave off elimination with a win over the Atlanta Braves in Game 5 of the World Series on Sunday night, but the odds of them coming back and winning a championship remain extremely low. Carlos Correa has not lost hope.
The Astros fell behind 4-0 in the first inning of Game 5, and many assumed their season had unofficially come to an end. They got two runs back immediately in the top of the second inning and went on to win 9-5. After the game, Correa spoke about how he and his teammates refused to give up. He says they will carry that mentality back home to Houston for Game 6 and, possibly, Game 7.
"I know not many teams have come back from down 3-1. But if there's a team that can do it, I believe it's us."
– @astros SS @TeamCJCorrea @KevinBurkhardt | @AROD | @DavidOrtiz | @TheBigHurt_35 | #ForTheH pic.twitter.com/3taOzroTZJ— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) November 1, 2021
“We’re not gonna give up. We’re gonna go out there in Game 6 with the same mentality — we can’t give up,” Correa said. “I know not many teams have come back from (down) 3-1, but if there’s one team that can do it, I believe it’s us.”
Correa is right that not many teams have come back from a 3-1 World Series hole. Only six have done it. Heading into Game 5, the Astros had just a 13 percent chance of coming back to win the series.
Carlos Correa called tonight's game a "must win" for the Astros. While it's obviously not a true elimination game, history doesn't like their chances if they go down 3-1.
Teams to take a 3-1 series lead in a best-of-7 World Series have gone on to win 87% of the time (40-6). pic.twitter.com/c0kpDDXCUN
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 30, 2021
The Astros have an extremely potent lineup, and heading back to Houston could provide them with a boost. Still, winning three straight games against a team like the Braves will be no easy task.
If the Astros need a little extra motivation before Game 6, perhaps they can focus on the way Atlanta’s organist taunted Alex Bregman on Sunday. We all saw how quickly that backfired on the Braves.
