Who won game 6 of the world series

Nov. 3, 2021, 12:01 a.m. ET

One more look at the final out of the 117th World Series.

Nov. 2, 2021, 11:58 p.m. ET

While Jorge Soler was rightly named World Series M.V.P., Freddie Freeman came up huge for Atlanta yet again, with an R.B.I. double and a solo homer. He is eligible for free agency, and may end up leaving the team, but for today he was celebrating like someone who is happy where he is. “I think it means everything,” he said when asked what it mean for Atlanta to win a championship. “We’ve been waiting in this city for a championship for a long time.”

Nov. 2, 2021, 11:55 p.m. ET

Jorge Soler has been named the most valuable player of the World Series after hitting three home runs, each of which gave his team a lead. His three-run blast tonight likely hasn’t landed yet.

Nov. 2, 2021, 11:51 p.m. ET

With the fans in Houston booing, Commissioner Rob Manfred presented the Atlanta Braves with the Commissioner’s Trophy. Terry McGuirk, the team’s chief executive, made sure to mention Hank Aaron and Phil Niekro, both of whom passed away recently, and Manager Brian Snitker struggled with what to say. “I’m numb,” he said before shouting out to the large group of Braves fans still packed into the road stadium.

Nov. 2, 2021, 11:40 p.m. ET

No one expected the 88-win team to make it through the playoffs and win the World Series. But they kept winning games they shouldn’t win and they have their first championship since 1995.

Nov. 2, 2021, 11:37 p.m. ET

If that was it for Freddie Freeman in Atlanta, he went out on top. Emphatically on top.

FREDDIE! pic.twitter.com/evys0OR1pt

— MLB (@MLB) November 3, 2021

Top 9th: Atlanta stays quiet, but is three outs from a championship.

With Yimi Garcia pitching for Houston, Atlanta’s bats had nothing left to offer.

Travis d’Arnaud led off and flied out to center. Dansby Swanson lined out to short and Eddie Rosario grounded out to first to end the inning.

Three more outs and Atlanta will be champions.

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Bottom 8th: Matzek is dominant yet again.

With Tyler Matzek back out to start a second inning, the Astros were still entirely baffled.

Aledmys Diaz came in as a pinch-hitter for Jose Siri but didn’t do much with the opportunity as he struck out looking. Another pinch-hitter, Marwin Gonzalez, came in for Martín Maldonado and he struck out as well. Jose Altuve then struck out looking.

Matzek has four strikeouts in two innings, and he and Fried have combined for 10 without issuing a walk.

Top 8th: A collision is narrowly avoided.

Other than a play that looked scarier than it turned out, the top of the eighth was very quiet with closer Ryan Pressly pitching for Houston.

It didn’t look like it would be when Adam Duvall hit a fly ball to right center between the outfielders. Kyle Tucker ended up lunging toward the ball and as he caught it he barely avoided running straight into center fielder Jose Siri. Both players were fine, but the potential for disaster felt high.

Joc Pederson grounded out to first and Ozzie Albies flied out to center to end the inning.

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Bottom 7th: Matzek keeps things rolling.

Atlanta went to its bullpen (or arm barn, if you will). Tyler Matzek came in for Max Fried, who had thrown six shutout innings. He kept the trend.

Yordan Alvarez led off with a single. But after that, Matzek was perfect. Yuli Gurriel flied out to right, Kyle Tucker lined out to right and Matzek finished the inning by striking out Alex Bregman on three pitches.

Nov. 2, 2021, 10:52 p.m. ET

Alan Blinder

Tyler Matzek has entered the game. The Atlanta reliever is making his 13th appearance of the postseason, building on the team record he set on Saturday night, when he passed Mark Wohlers. Wohlers, however, does still hold Atlanta’s record for most career postseason saves (nine).

Top 7th: Freeman’s homer stretches lead.

Ryne Stanek came in for Houston and looked sharp for the most part, but also allowed Freddie Freeman to add an insurance run with a solo homer.

He got Eddie Rosario to strike out swinging and then induced a hard grounder from Jorge Soler that third baseman Alex Bregman snared with a sensational dive and then threw across the diamond for out No. 2.

But Freeman, in what might have been his final at-bat for Atlanta as he approaches free agency, wasn’t done for the night. He launched a slider 416 feet to center for a home run that made it 7-0.

Stanek was able to get out of the inning by striking out Austin Riley, but the game has largely gotten out of hand.

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Nov. 2, 2021, 10:49 p.m. ET

Alan Blinder

Max Fried’s masterful night for Atlanta has concluded. The starter went six innings and gave up four hits and no runs. He threw 74 pitches and walked no one.

Nov. 2, 2021, 10:49 p.m. ET

Alan Blinder

I saw some Astros fans headed toward the exits a few minutes ago, before Freddie Freeman’s home run. Now? Even more are trying to beat traffic.

Nov. 2, 2021, 10:37 p.m. ET

James Wagner

While walking out to left field to see if I could find where Jorge Soler’s third-inning monster blast landed, I came across these Astros fans. At least they’ve taken the 2017 illegal sign-stealing scandal well:

Bottom 6: Fried isn’t slowing down.

Max Fried is still going.

Out No. 1 came via a six-pitch strikeout of catcher Martín Maldonado, in which he stared at a changeup for strike three. Out No. 2 was a Jose Altuve pop-up to shortstop. Michael Brantley singled on a grounder up the middle that was very nearly a sensational play by Dansby Swanson, but Fried got out of the inning when Carlos Correa struck out (a dropped third strike added some drama but Travis d’Arnaud threw Correa out easily at first).

Despite having his right ankle stomped on in the first inning, Fried has been dominant. And he’s thrown only 74 pitches so far.

Top 6th: Maton works around two hits.

Phil Maton worked around a little trouble to hold Atlanta scoreless.

Adam Duvall hit a bouncer just to the right of second base, but the defensive alignment allowed the ball to find its way into shallow right for a single. After Joc Pederson flied out to right, Ozzie Albies singled.

But that was it for Atlanta. Travis d’Arnaud struck out and Dansby Swanson grounded out to short to end the inning.

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Nov. 2, 2021, 10:16 p.m. ET

Scott Miller

Atlanta manager Brian Snitker moved struggling Ozzie Albies from third to seventh in the lineup tonight. Albies has responded with two singles, a walk and has scored twice.

Bottom 5th: Fried goes 1-2-3.

Max Fried is making it look easy.

Fried started by striking out Kyle Tucker on four pitches and then he caught Alex Bregman looking at a fastball for strike three (Bregman appeared to strenuously disagree with the call on the pitch that was, admittedly, fairly low).

Top 5th: Atlanta doubles its lead.

Dansby Swanson grew up a Braves fan and he dramatically increased Atlanta’s chances of clinching a championship tonight by hitting a two-run homer part of a three-run inning that ended with Atlanta leading, 6-0.

Ozzie Albies had drawn a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch by Cristian Javier that sailed way up and over the glove of catcher Martín Maldonado. Travis d’Arnaud struck out but then Swanson broke the game open by turning on a 2-2 fastball from Javier and sending it 411 feet to left.

Blake Taylor came on in relief of Javier and got Eddie Rosario to ground out on a comebacker to the mound. He walked Jorge Soler and then got burned when Freddie Freeman lofted a ball into left-center that eluded the outfielders, hit the wall and allowed Soler to score from first.

Phil Maton was brought in as the third pitcher of the inning and finally ended the bleeding by getting Austin Riley to fly out to center.

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Nov. 2, 2021, 9:55 p.m. ET

Alan Blinder

Houston has had nearly as many pitchers as Atlanta has had runs. With two outs in the top of the fifth inning — and Atlanta up, 6-0 — the Astros have summoned their fifth pitcher of the evening, Phil Maton.

Nov. 2, 2021, 9:54 p.m. ET

Scott Miller

Two things are happening now in Minute Maid Park as Atlanta increases its lead to 6-0: Astros fans are becoming more resigned to what’s happening and, consequently, more quiet. Atlanta fans, meanwhile, are becoming more boisterous and it is increasingly easy to hear them.

Nov. 2, 2021, 9:54 p.m. ET

James Wagner

Freddie Freeman, Atlanta’s longtime first base star who is unsigned past this season but wants to remain, gets chats of “Freddie! Freddie!” from the Atlanta fans in attendance after he doubles in a run off the left field wall. It’s 6-0 Atlanta.

Nov. 2, 2021, 9:47 p.m. ET

Alan Blinder

A big night for Dansby Swanson and Jorge Soler, who have both sent balls over the fence in left. Remember that they also had a huge night in Game 4, when they back-to-back homers.

Nov. 2, 2021, 9:47 p.m. ET

Alan Blinder

Now pitching for Houston: Blake Taylor. Cristian Javier lasted one inning. He struck out three, but gave up two runs, a hit and a walk.

Nov. 2, 2021, 9:47 p.m. ET

James Wagner

Things are not looking good for the Astros. Reliever Cristian Javier, who was not scored upon all postseason until Game 4, has now had another rough outing. Minute Maid Park has gotten very quiet.

Nov. 2, 2021, 9:34 p.m. ET

Scott Miller

Time is running out more quickly on the Astros than it did in Game 5 as they try to stay alive. Trailing 3-0 at the end of the fourth inning, the problem for Houston is that it has put the leadoff runner on base in three of four innings so far … and failed to score.

When Atlanta stunned Houston with a first-inning grand slam in Game 5 to jump to a 4-0 lead, Astros Manager Dusty Baker acknowledged after a 9-5 comeback win that the good news following the grand slam was that the Astros had plenty of time to come back. Tonight, with each squandered opportunity, Houston is working with dwindling time.

Bottom 4th: Another double play helps Fried.

Max Fried is cruising with help from his defense.

Carlos Correa broke his bat lofting a flare into right-center for a single but was immediately erased when Yordan Alvarez grounded into a 4-6-3 double play on the first pitch he saw. Then Fried got out of the inning when Yuli Gurriel grounded out to second.

Fried has thrown four shutout innings and his pitch count is a very tidy 40.

Top 4th: Atlanta goes down quietly.

Houston has made things awfully quiet for Atlanta’s offense after Jorge Soler’s home run.

Cristian Javier came in as Houston’s third pitcher of the night and he quickly struck out Austin Riley, fooling the power-hitting third baseman with an inside slider. He got Adam Duvall to fly out to center and he struck out Joc Pederson to end the inning.

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Nov. 2, 2021, 9:19 p.m. ET

Alan Blinder

The Astros have brought in their third pitcher of the night. Cristian Javier just climbed the mound here in Houston, where Atlanta is getting ready to come to the plate in the fourth.

Bottom 3rd: A double play makes things quick.

Staked to a 3-0 lead, Max Fried kept things fairly quiet.

A suddenly red-hot Martín Maldonado led off with a single to center. But Jose Altuve lined out and Michael Brantley grounded into a 1-6-3 double-play to end the inning.

Nov. 2, 2021, 9:14 p.m. ET

Alan Blinder

Luis Garcia’s night is over here in Houston after Jorge Soler crushed his 42nd pitch of the night over the fence and toward Crawford Street. Brooks Raley is in for Houston.

Top 3rd: Soler’s blast gives Atlanta the lead.

Jorge Soler put Atlanta ahead … emphatically ahead. His three-run homer was the kind of blast that will be shown on replays for years to come and it has Atlanta up early in a game that could deliver the team its first championship since 1995.

Ozzie Albies singled to right to start the inning and was trying to steal second when Travis d’Arnaud flied out to center. He was going for second again when Dansby Swanson lined out to the wall in left. Eddie Rosario took a hack at a 3-0 pitch and missed, settling for a walk on five pitches (yes, Albies was running on the pitch).

With runners on first and second and two outs, Soler got ahead 3-0, ended up in a full-count and after a few foul balls he uncoiled on an 83-m.p.h. cutter, absolutely demolishing the ball over the train tracks deep beyond the fence in left field and then celebrating the shot at home before rounding the bases for a three-run homer. Albies, after so many attempts, got to jog home along with Rosario and Soler.

Garcia had thrown only 20 pitches through two innings. By the time Soler’s homer chased him from the game, he’d thrown 22 more.

Brooks Raley came on in relief of Garcia and retired Freddie Freeman with only one pitch, getting him to ground out to second.

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Nov. 2, 2021, 8:51 p.m. ET

Scott Miller

Dropped to seventh in the lineup tonight after batting third in each of the first five games, Ozzie Albies responded with a leadoff single here in the top of the third inning. It is Albies’ first hit since Game 2.

Bottom 2nd: Fried gets some help.

Max Fried must have been jealous of Luis Garcia’s efficiency.

Fried’s hard luck seems to have turned around some in terms of defense. Dansby Swanson made a nice play to retire Kyle Tucker on a grounder to short, Joc Pederson adjusted his path to the ball to snag a fly ball in right and Fried got out of the inning when Jose Siri flied out to left.