PHOTOS: Astros end Dodgers World Series run with 5 - 1 victory in Game 7
Game 7: Astros 5 – Dodgers 1
The drought continues. The emptiness remains. The ache returns.
After waiting 29 years for their championship moment, Dodgers fans watched their hopes disintegrate Wednesday night in about 29 minutes.
It was so quick. It was so brutal. It was Blue Hell on Earth.
In the seventh and deciding game of an epic World Series that spent a week leaving Los Angeles on edge, the Houston Astros swiftly turned the town numb with a stunning opening punch that resulted in an eventual 5-1 victory at a somber Dodger Stadium.
–– Bill Plaschke / Los Angeles Times
The Houston Astros celebrate after beating the Dodgers 5-1 in Game 7 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium.
A lone Dodger fan watches the Houston Astros celebrate their 5-1 victory over the Dodgers in Game 7 to win their first World Series at Dodger Stadium.
Houston Astros center fielder
Yu Darvish looks across the diamond as Astros centerfielder George Springer rounds third and heads to home on a throwing error by Cody Bellnger in the first inning in Game 7 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium.
Astros George Springer, center, celebrates with teammates after hitting a two-run homer against the Dodgers in the second inning at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and the infield wait for a relief pitcher after Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yu Darvish was taken out of the game after giving up 5 runs in the second inning of Game 7 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium.
Dodgers outfielder
Dodgers
A frustrated Dodgers Cody Bellinger looks down while standing on 1st base after force out against the Astros in the 5th inning in Game 7 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium.
A frustrated Dodgers fan looks on during Game 7 of the World Series at Dodgers Stadium.
Game 6: Dodgers 3 – Astros 1
A dozen outs from the end of their season, pushed by a raucous Halloween crowd and fueled by their own desperation, the Dodgers dug deep.
They trailed by one run. They had one hit. They were leaning on a tattered bullpen. The night was cooling. The sky was spitting. Winter was coming.
But then, in the sixth inning of Game 6 of the World Series against the Houston Astros at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday night, it happened, the wondrous realization of a nightly cry that brought back summer.
It was time for Dodger baseball.
They rallied. They were relentless. They mounted a sixth-inning push against Astros ace
By the time the digging was finished, the Dodgers had unearthed what today are the two most wondrous words in the language of Los Angeles.
Game 7.
–– Bill Plaschke / Los Angeles Times
Outfielder
Dodgers
Fans cheer as the Dodgers pull ahead of the Astros in the 6th inning in Game 6 of World Series at Dodger Stadium.
Dodgers centerfielder
Fans celebrate as the Dodgers beat the Astros 3-1 in Game 6 of World Series at Dodger Stadium.
Astros pitcher Justin Verlander wlaks back to the dugout after giving up the lead to the Dodgers in the 6th inning in Game 6 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium.
Yuli Gurriel fouls out in the eighth inning in Game 6 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium.
Cody Bellinger hangs his head after striking out for the fourth time in Game 6 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium.
George Springer homers off Rich Hill in the third inning in Game 6 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium.
Chris Taylor calls off Corey Seager on a third inning pop up from Astros batter
Dodgers fans watch the team take batting practice before Game 6 of the World Series against the Astros at Dodger Stadium.
Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig climbs the wall but can't reach a home run ball hit by Astros George Springer in the 3rd inning in Game 6 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium.
Game 5: Astros 13 – Dodgers 12
They had a four-run lead. They had their best pitcher on the mound. They were headed home on the precipice of a championship.
Then, two days before what all of Los Angeles thought could be a celebratory Halloween clinching, the Dodgers stumbled into a nightmare Sunday.
Baseballs disappearing. Pitchers dissolving. A manager twisting. Thousands screaming. Faces gone pale. Blue turned to black.
In a bright and pleasant World Series Game 5 that suddenly became their house of horrors, the Dodgers blew a four-run lead, then blew a three-run lead, then blew a one-run lead, then overcame a three-run deficit in the ninth, then finally fell in a 13-12 loss in 10 innings Sunday to the Houston Astros at a raucous Minute Maid Park.
–– Bill Plaschke / Los Angeles Times
Astros Alex Bregman singles off Kenley Jansen to bring home the winning run in the 10th inning in Game 5 of the World Series at Minute Maid Park.
Astros baserunner Derek Fisher scores the game winning run as Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes waits for the ball in the bottom of the 10th inning in Game 5 of the World Series at Minute Maid Park.
Dodgers pitcher
Dodgers Justin Turner is tagged out at 3rd base on a failed sacrifice bunt form Kiki Hernandez in the 7th inning in Game 5 of the World Series at Minute Maid Park.
Astros
Astros George Springer crosses the plate ahead of Alex Bregman and
Dodgers Cody Bellinger goes into the stands to catch a foul ball off the bat of Astros
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw gives up a three-run home run to Astros Yuli Gurriel in the 4th inning in Game 5 of the World Series at Minute Maid Park.
Cody Bellinger knocks a three-run homer off Astros releiver Collin McChugh in the fifth inning of Game 5 of the World Series at Minute Maid Park.
Game 4: Dodgers 6 – Astros 2
When Cody Bellinger reached second base, he looked up into the Minute Maid Park ceiling and screamed, his hallelujahs spiraling skyward for a battling team, a thankful city, and a renewed World Series.
“A super sigh of relief,” he said.
The Dodgers are back. A title is within reach. Two wins away, three games to get it done, and if 22-year-old kid Bellinger can break out of an 0-for-13 World Series hitless streak with the game’s two biggest hits with his team’s baseball life on the line, doesn’t anything seem possible?
“It’s a beautiful game,” Bellinger said, and amen to that.
On a Saturday night that stunned the swaggering Houston Astros, Bellinger finished what
–– Bill Plaschke / Los Angeles Times
Joc Pederson and third base coach Chris Wooward celebrate Pederson's three run, ninth inning homer to give the Dodgers a 6-1 lead over the Astros in Game 4 of the World Series at Minute Maid Park.
Joc Pederson connects for a ninth-inning three-run homer to give the Dodgers a 6-1 lead over the Astros in Game 4 of the World Series at Minute Maid Park.
Dodgers Cody Bellinger hugs Joc Pederson after Pederson's three-run home run in the 9th inning in Game 4 of the World Series at Minute Maid Park.
Dodgers centerfielder Chris Taylor is a tick too late as Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel gathers Jose Altuve's throw in Game 4 of the World Series at Minute Maid Park.
Astros catcher Brian McCann chases down Austin Barnes during sixth inning action in Game 4 of the World Series at Minute Maid Park.
Dodgers Austin Barnes is tagged out by Astros catcher Brian McCann while trying to score from 3rd base in the 6th inning in Game 4 of the World Series at Minute Maid Park.
Dodgers pitcher Alex Wood throws a pitch against the Astros in the 1st inning in Game 4 of the World Series at Minute Maid Park .
Game 3: Astros 5 – Dodgers 3
This is one bad hangover.
Two days after one of the most devastating losses in franchise history, the flattened Dodgers stayed down, stared up, and watched the Houston Astros continue to swagger their way through this World Series.
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, it became Texas-sized bad, the Dodgers following their Game 2 collapse with a Game 3 meltdown Friday night in a 5-3 loss at Minute Maid Park that took the locals back to their dark side.
Remember that team that went 52-9 at one point this summer? Well, these were the guys that went 1-16.
Remember the team that rode Clayton Kershaw to a Series opening win? That team is now trailing two games to one and must rely on postseason newbie Alex Wood to pull them out of the hole against Houston’s
–– Bill Plaschke / Los Angeles Times
Dodgers Yu Darvish gives up a solo home run to Astros Yuli Gurriel in the 2nd inning in Game 3 of the World Series at Minute Maid Park.
Astros designated hitter Evan Gattis scores on a Brian McCann single in the second inning of Game 3 of the World Series at Minute Maid Park.
Dodgers Yasiel Puig chases a ball that goes foul in Game 3 of the World Series at Minute Maid Park
Dodgers hitter
Astros center fielder George Springer makes a diving catch to save a run off the bat of Dodgers Chris Taylor in the 5th inning in Game 3 of the World Series at Minute Maid Park .
Catcher Austin Barnes is too late to tag Astros right fielder Josh Reddick who scores from first base on a fifth inning Dodgers error in Game 3 of the World Series at Minute Maid Park.
Dodgers from left, Corey Seager, Cody Bellinger, Chase Utley and Brandon Morrow meet on the mound in Game 3 of the World Series at Minute Maid Park.
Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner pops up as Astros catcher Brian McCann pursues the ball during eighth inning action in Game 3of the World Series at Minute Maid Park.
Astros starting pitcher
Game 2: Astros 7 – Dodgers 6
The first blast shocked. The second blast stunned. The third blast silenced. The fourth blast finished.
Bam, bam, bam, bam, the Dodgers have lost a World Series game, a World Series advantage, and every bit of World Series momentum.
After three weeks of partying, a full Dodger Stadium crowd fell into hushed mourning Wednesday night at a sight they thought they would never again see this season.
The Dodgers blew it. The Dodgers blew it big. The Dodgers lost a game that could have set them on an unalterable course toward a World Series championship, one that instead has sent their title hopes careening back into limbo.
Three outs from beating a second consecutive Houston Astros ace and taking a seemingly insurmountable two-games-to-none lead, the Dodgers’ great Kenley Jansen allowed a game-tying homer in the ninth. Then bullpen mate
–– Bill Plaschke / Los Angeles Times
George Springer of the Astros celebrates in the dugout after his two-run home run in the 11th inning against the Dodgers in Game 2 of the World Series.
Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig strikes out to end the game as the Dodgers lose to the Astros 7-6 in 11 innings in Game 2 of the 2017 World Series.
A Dodger fan watches Houston win Game 2 of the 2017 World Series 7-6 in the 11th inning to even the series at a game apiece at Dodger Stadium.
Astros Jose Altuve, right, and Carlos Correa celebrate after hitting back-to-back homers in Game 2 of the 2017 World Series.
Dodgers reserve
Dodger fans cheer in the left field pavilion as Corey Seager hits a two-run homer in the sixth for a 3-1 Dodgers lead in Game 2 of the 2017 World Series at Dodger Stadium.
Dodgers fan Angel Rodriguez of East Los Angeles is a blue-and-white vision of devotion.
Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig after he failed to field a ball, leading to a ground-rule double by Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman in the seventh inning.
Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes comforts relief pitcher Josh Fields after Fields gave up two runs in the 10th inning in Game 2 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium.
The Dodgers celebrate after second baseman Logan Forsythe scored a run against the Astros off of a double by Enrique Hernandez in the 10th inning of Game 2 of the 2017 World Series.
A Dodger fan cheers while watching Game 2 of the 2017 World Series at Dodger Stadium.
Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Joc Pederson hits a game-tying solo home run in the fifth inning of Game 2 of the 2017 World Series.
Chris Taylor is tagged out by Astros shortstop Carlos Correa in a fourth-inning rundown in Game 2 of the 2017 World Series.
Dodger fans wave souvenir towels as they cheer on the Dodgers from the top deck during Game 2 of the 2017 World Series.
Game 1: Dodgers 3 – Astros 1
In their first World Series game in 29 years Tuesday night, the Dodgers put the Houston Astros through various stages of blistering in a 3-1 victory at overheated Dodger Stadium. In the beginning, it was simply hot, the hottest game in World Series history, 103 degrees at first pitch, fans baking, jerseys darkening, Dodgers smiling.
“It’s like July or August out here,” said the Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger, rubbing his sweaty forehead. “Just the way we like it.”
Then it became heater hot, Clayton Kershaw winging it with arguably the best game of his storied Dodger career, striking out 11 while twisting the vaunted Astros hitters into Texas-sized knots.“That, to me, was his masterpiece,” Dodgers pitcher Brandon McCarthy said.
Then, finally, it was literally red hot, with Justin Turner doing it again, the Dodgers’ auburn-maned muppet hitting a two-run, tiebreaking homer in the sixth inning. It was his second game-deciding blast in consecutive home playoff games, and the memories of
–– Bill Plaschke / Los Angeles Times
Dodgers fans cheer on Clayton Kershaw during Game 1 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium.
Comedian and Dodger fan George Lopez waves a flag above the home team's dugout before Game 1 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium.
Dodgers center fielder Chris Taylor rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run off the first pitch of the game against Houston Astros starter Dallas Keuchel.
Dodger fans cheer on their team during Game 1 of the World Series between the Dodgers and the Houston Astros at Dodger Stadium.
Justin Turner hits a two-run home run against the Astros in the sixth inning in Game 1.
Yasiel Puig greets Justin Turner after Turner's two-run home run against the Astros in the sixth inning.
Teammates crowd Justin Turner after he hit a two-run homer off Houston starter Dallas Keuchel.
The Astros' George Springer strikes out against the Dodgers in Game 1.
Astros pitcher Dallas Keuchel looks up at a foul ball as he strikes out against Clayton Kershaw.
Enrique Hernandez catches a fly ball by Astros Josh Reddick in the eighth inning in Game 1.
Dodger fans high-five each other after catching a foul ball while Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Cody Bellinger looks on during game 1 of the World Series.
Dodgers relief pitcher Kenley Jensen points skyward after getting the final out.
Dodger fans cheer after the Dodgers beat the Houston Astros, 3-1, in Game 1 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium.
Clayton Kershaw is congratulated by coaches and teammates after the Dodgers beat the Astros, 3-1, in Game 1.
