Writes former Philly columnist Mark Whicker in the Orange County Register:
Justin Verlander had Houston’s first World Series championship on his racket in Game 6 last night. He was only leading 1-0, thanks to some tricky bobbing-and-weaving by Rich Hill and Brandon Morrow and Tony Watson.
But he was good enough to make the crowd sit there, absorbing cool mist in the same place where it sweated rivers a week ago. Wishful thinking masqueraded as hope. There was nothing to indicate the Astros wouldn’t fly home soaked and victorious.
But Game 6s never just sit there obediently. They have traditionally been the best games of the best World Series, just as this game was, just as this Series is becoming.
When the sixth was over, Verlander wore a what-happened expression and a 2-1 deficit.
Joc Pederson would add a home run off Joe Musgrove, a renewed Kenley Jansen would roll through the eighth and ninth innings with 19 pitches, no baserunners and 18 strikes, and the Dodgers would win 3-1 and set up the first World Series Game 7 in Dodger Stadium history:
Whicker: World Series is up for grabs after Game 6 escapes Justin Verlander’s grip
