A boy who spent much of the season in the minors kept the Braves in the fight. Then the hitting came to life.
And in a flash, Atlanta was one win away from what would be its first World Series title in 26 years.
Dansby Swanson and Cuban pinch-hitter Jorge Soler hit home runs in back-to-back at-bats during the seventh inning, and the Braves beat the Houston Astros 3-2 Saturday night to take a 3-1 lead in the Fall Classic.
The fifth game is scheduled for this Sunday night. The Braves can be crowned in their own park, as they did two stadiums ago, in 1995, when they defeated the Cleveland Indians in the final match.
The Cuban Yordan Álvarez, of the
Houston Astros, cannot catch the ball, in a homerun by his compatriot Jorge Soler, of the Atlanta Braves, who thus took the advantage in the fourth game of the World Series, on Saturday, October 30, 2021 (AP Photo / Brynn Anderson)
That win at the old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium remains the franchise’s only World Series win since 1966, when it moved to the south of the country.
For the Astros, Venezuelans José Altuve 5-2 with two runs scored and one RBI, Marwin González 1-0. The Cubans Yordan Álvarez 3-0, Yuli Gurriel 2-0, Aledmys Díaz 1-0. Puerto Ricans Carlos Correa 4-1 with an RBI, Martín Maldonado 4-1.
For the Braves, Puerto Rican Eddie Rosario 4-2 with a run scored. Venezuelan Orlando Arcia 1-0. The Cuban Soler 1-1 with a run scored and an RBI. (AP)