HOUSTON — Stephen Strasburg provided the guts and the Nationals the muscle to extend the World Series to Game 7 Wednesday night.
Thanks to Strasburg’s 8 ¹/₃ solid innings and home runs by Adam Eaton, Juan Soto and Anthony Rendon, the Nationals hung a 7-2 loss on the Astros on Tuesday night in Game 6 that was witnessed by a sold-out Minute Maid crowd of 43,384.
Tied at 3-3, the series will be decided when Nationals right-hander Max Scherzer, scratched from his scheduled start in Game 5, is expected to oppose Astros righty Zack Greinke.
Should the Nationals win Game 7, it would be the first time all seven games were won by road teams in World Series history. As it is stands now, it’s the first time in MLB history that the road team has won each of a series’ first six games.
In what could be his final game with the Nationals if he opts out of his contract and becomes a free agent, Strasburg allowed two runs and five hits. Rendon added a two-run double in the ninth that sealed the victory for the Nationals. Rendon, also a pending free agent, finished with five RBIs.
Controversy arose in the seventh inning when Trea Turner was called out for interference while running to first on a weak ground ball fielded by pitcher Brad Peacock. Turner’s left foot was on the infield grass for the first few steps out of the box but in the dirt the rest of the way. Peacock’s throw to first got by Yuli Gurriel when Turner brushed against Gurriel’s glove. Yan Gomes moved to third and Turner to second but plate umpire Sam Holbrook ruled Turner out for interference and put Gomes back at first.
A livid Dave Martinez, the Nationals’ manager, argued the call and eventually the umpires put on headsets for a discussion with MLB headquarters. Four minutes and 42 seconds later the call stood. Will Harris replaced Peacock and popped up Adam Eaton before Rendon hit a 1-0 pitch over the left-field wall for a two-run homer and a 5-2 lead.
That didn’t satisfy Martinez, who went after third-base umpire and crew chief Gary Cederstrom at the end of the inning. Holbrook joined the discussion that got so heated Nationals coaches Tim Bogar and Chip Hale had to twice restrain Martinez, who was ejected.
Joe Torre, MLB’s chief baseball officer, entered the field before the top of the eighth inning and talked to Holbrook.
The Astros’ Justin Verlander gave up three runs in five innings and two of the five hits he allowed were home runs to Eaton and Soto in the fifth inning that put the Nationals ahead, 3-2. Verlander is 0-6 in seven World Series starts.
Strasburg pitched out of jams in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings when the Astros stranded five runners. With runners at first and second and two outs in the fourth, he whiffed Carlos Correa. The Nationals had runners at first and second and one out in the fifth when Strasburg struck out Jose Altuve and got Michael Brantley on hard-hit grounder to the right side of second that was fielded by Turner. Strasburg worked around a leadoff single by Alex Bregman in the sixth by retiring the next three batters
Ref;nypost.com