2021 World Series: Game 3 Recap
Player Name
Game 3 was the first time the Atlanta Braves hosted a World Series game in 22 years, and Truist Field was rocking as the Braves fought the Houston Astros for the series lead.
By Zach Smith
23-year-old Ian Anderson got the start for the Braves, and he looked a bit shaky early on. Thankfully, a well executed 1-6-3 play got him out of a stressful first inning.
Rookie Luis Garcia started the game for Houston. Garcia carried his momentum from a strong showing in the ALCS, striking out four batters through his first two innings.
The Braves caught on to Garcia in the 3rd inning. Austin Riley hit a double to left field that drove in Eddie Rosario from second base, giving Atlanta a 1-0 lead.
Garcia was pulled after 3 ⅔ innings, and the Astros brought in left hander Blake Taylor who struck out Freddie Freeman to end the 4th inning.
Ian Anderson bounced back from his shaky 1st inning and delivered five straight innings of flawless pitching. Anderson had a no-hitter heading into the bottom of the 5th.
Lefty A.J. Minter came in for the Braves to start the 6th inning, and he struck out Yordon Alvarez to end the inning and keep their no-hit bid alive.
The Astros just couldn’t get one to fall. Luke Jackson replaced Minter to start the 7th inning, swiftly eliminating his first three opponents.
Aledmys Diaz finally broke up the Braves no-hit bid in the 8th inning with a bloop single off of Tyler Matzak. It could’ve been caught, but Eddie Rosario and Dansby Swanson failed to communicate.
With two outs in the bottom of the 8th, Travis d’Arnaud hit an absolute moonshot to center field, extending the Braves lead to 2-0.
Will Smith closed it out for Atlanta in the 9th. He was able to get the save, securing a 2-0 win for the Atlanta Braves in Game 3 of the 2021 World Series. They now lead the series 2-1.
Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Yordon Alvarez, Michael Brantley, and Kyle Tucker combined to go 0-17, so the Astros will need their bats to show up in Game 4 as the attempt to even the series.