Houston moved to the brink of its second championship – the other was a scandal-tainted crown in 2017.
Buoyed by late defensive gems from Trey Mancini and Chas McCormick, the Astros moved to the brink of their second championship – the other was a scandal-tainted title in 2017. They can close it out Saturday night at Minute Maid Park.
Verlander is among just five Astros remaining from the team caught using video to steal signs in ’17. He had been 0-6 with an unseemly 6.07 ERA in eight Series starts dating to his rookie season with Detroit in 2006, a blotch in the career of the 244-game winner likely to earn his third Cy Young Award this season.
Pitching with an extra day of rest for his arm and stubble on his face, the 39-year-old right-hander gave up one run and four hits over five innings with four walks and six strikeouts – including four in a row in the fourth and fifth. He lowered that Series ERA to 5.63.
CBSSports.com’s Matt Snyder observed that, “In his seventh career World Series start, spanning 16 years and three different decades, this was his first win.
