ATLANTA , Jose Altuve was almost finished on the diamond. He walked over to a group of Astros fans gathered behind the netting at Minute Maid Park's right field line.
He autographed World Series No. 5 for five minutes. 27 jerseys and other items were autographed by Altuve, many of which were for children. A little girl received a ball bearing Altuve's signature. She joyfully turned to her mom.
The mom stated Wednesday night, "I'm about crying,"
Altuve's team also liked the signs he had earlier in the night.
The big-swinging leadoff male is one of the few stars who delivers any major hits in a Fall Classic that has been devoid drama.
Altuve, who had just returned from his first three-strikeout postseason game and a long slump in the AL Championship Series suffered a resounding victory as Houston beat Atlanta 7-2. The matchup was tied at 1
However, teammates Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa and AL Championship Series MVP Yordan Avarez remain silent. The Braves have not suffered much from Freddie Freeman and Austin Riley, nor has Eddie Rosario, the NLCS MVP, done much for them.
"You can go 0 for 20 but what if you score the big hit?" Altuve stated that playoffs are all about "that's what playoffs are about." "I don’t care if my last night score was 0 for 5.
Dusty Baker, Astros manager, said that his father used to tell him it was OK to get down. Just don't stay there. He didn't stay there.
They'll be playing Game 3 at Truist Park on Friday, provided it isn't raining. Luis Garcia will pitch against Ian Anderson. Both of them were good in the games they won to clinch these spots.
This will be the first World Series pairing featuring rookie starters since 2006.
On that night, St. Louis beat Detroit and Justin Verlander, with Anthony Reyes leading the charge. While recovering from Tommy John surgery, Verlander was still on Houston's injures list.
Marwin Gonzalez, an Astros reserve batsman, is the only one who has ever faced the starter of the opposing team.
Baker stated that Hank Aaron used to say, "If you have never faced a pitcher you initiate him immediately and then kind of kill His spirits." We can hopefully initiate him.
Anderson, 23, is an October veteran. Anderson has made seven postseason starts over the past two years, going 3-0 and posting a 1.47 ERA.
Brian Snitker, Braves manager, said that he has seen a lot in his short career. He also had a lot to learn, and he's pitched a lot here.
Garcia will have to bat in place of a designated hitter in the National League park.
Garcia said, "I like hitting," and has hitless in six of his career at-bats.
Braves are currently 5-0 at home in the playoffs this year and expect a large crowd.
"The atmosphere is amazing. Braves country, as I said, is real. It's real," Snitker stated.
Truist Park has been closed to the Astros since 2017. This means that many of their players won't be able to see it since 2017. Baker stated that the Astros had hoped to exercise at Truist Park Thursday to become familiar with its "dimensions, the caroms, and the corners". However, rain prevented them from doing so.
The tarp was on the field for the entire day. A few Astros were able to throw the ball in the outfield as the rain turned into showers. It was in the 50s, a far cry from Houston. Game 3 would be in the same weather.
Altuve was instrumental in the Astros' home win. Altuve, an All-Star second baseman, was a postseason staple. He pushed aside a 3 for 24 skid in ALCS and a hitless opening against the Braves.
Altuve was second on the postseason career home run list, tied with Bernie Williams (Yankees) and trailed only by Manny Ramirez's 29.
Baker said that Altuve's performance was not surprising. Baker also believes that the Astros' other infielders, Yuli Gurriel, Yuli Bregman, and Correa will also play important roles.
They expect good things to happen, and they expect to be successful. They expect to be successful. He said, "I found that out last year."
He said that there were some men who were struggling. They said, "Well, wait until the playoffs." And they barely made it in. "They said, Hey, man, we're going turn it on during the playoffs. It's rare to see anyone in this game that can turn it on whenever they want.
Altuve has proven that. Altuve has shown that in 11 seasons. He's hit a home run about every 35 at-bats during the regular season. In 75 playoff games, he homered once every 14 at bats.
Baker remembered a San Francisco slugger and a speedster who lived across the Bay.
"Come to your mind like Barry Bonds. He says, "I'm going to take this game over today," and he does. Rickey Henderson said, "Hey, man, I'm going steal three to four bases and I'm taking this game over myself," Baker stated.
He said that he didn't know of any players who could be like him, or where they had the mental or physical control to do so.
