The Houston Astros were able to tie their series with the Los Angeles Dodgers at 1-1 on Wednesday night with one of the most exciting wins in World Series history. The 11-inning victory was so dramatic, in fact, that Justin Verlander nearly passed out — three times.
Verlander, who started for Houston and pitched six innings of two-hit ball, told reporters after the game that he was cheering so loudly during the back-and-forth affair that he thought he was going to faint.
Verlander: "I almost fainted three times — I'm not joking. Cheering so loudly I had to take a minute to recompose myself."
— Brian T. Smith (@ChronBrianSmith) October 26, 2017
Due to superstition, Verlander watched both Marwin Gonzalez’s game-tying home run in the ninth and George Springer’s game-winning homer in the 11th from a video screen in the clubhouse. He said he told Gonzalez he was going to hit one out. Here’s more of what an incredibly excited Verlander had to say:
Verlander on telling Marwin he’d win game, watching Springer’s winning HR from same spot, almost fainting. “Off the bat, they’re yelling.” pic.twitter.com/tbuwa5UtZk
— Brian T. Smith (@ChronBrianSmith) October 26, 2017
The Astros were trailing 3-1 heading into the seventh and managed to force extra innings. They then got back-to-back home runs from Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa in the 10th to take a 5-3 lead, but the Dodgers immediately managed to tie things up again in the bottom of the frame. Finally, Springer broke the tie again in the 11th with a two-run homer, and L.A. fell just short after a solo shot from Charlie Culberson made things interesting.
No wonder Verlander thought he wasn’t going to maintain consciousness.
