70 Incredible Stats and Facts From the 2017 World Series
Game 5
This matchup had all the makings of a pitcher's duel. After all, with Keuchel and Kershaw facing off for a Game 1 rematch, they became just the sixth pair of former Cy Young winners to oppose one another twice in a single World Series.
So naturally, we ended up with a crazy 13-12 barnburner. These two southpaws weren't the only hurlers who struggled -- only Game 6 of the 2011 World Series between the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals produced a lower cumulative Win Probability Added (WPA).
Los Angeles gave Kershaw a couple of comfortable leads, but he just didn't have it. He walked three hitters and struck out just two, which was the first time he'd done something like that since 2010.
He allowed his eighth homer of the postseason during this performance, giving him the dubious honor of allowing the most dingers in a single October ever.
Brandon Morrow made yet another appearance, and things didn't go well. As Baseball-Reference notes, there were 41,053 appearances by pitchers in their database that include six or fewer pitches once he toed the slab. Morrow became just the third to allow four runs in such an appearance.
L.A. wasn't the only bullpen to struggle. In 23.2 innings of work during the 2015 World Series, the Kansas City Royals surrendered just six runs. Houston and Los Angeles watched their respective bullpens do that in Game 5 alone.
The 25 runs scored between these two tied for the second-most runs ever scored in a World Series game.
It did break a record for the most runs scored in an extra-inning game, though.
Through all the madness, George Springer hit yet another go-ahead homer, becoming the fifth player ever to have three or more such dingers in Fall Classic history.
The Astros managed to hit three different game-tying homers in this game, which of course, had never happened before.
Cody Bellinger one-upped Corey Seager by hitting a homer of his own. The only players younger than the rookie to go yard in a World Series include Andruw Jones, Miguel Cabrera, Mickey Mantle, Jimmy Foxx, and Tony Kubek.
Jose Altuve joined Jeff Kent (2002) and Chase Utley (2009) as the only second basemen to record four RBI in a World Series game. To make it even more head-scratching, each of these three players did it in a Game 5.
Houston overcame multiple deficits of three-plus runs to win, joining the 1993 Toronto Blue Jays as the only other team to do such a thing in the Fall Classic.
Five different Houston players hit a homer during this contest, which is the first time that's ever happened.
All these huge hits made win probability graphs go freakin' nuts. Entering this year, there had been just three World Series games that included four or more plays that changed win probability by 25% (Game 4 of 1957, Game 3 of 1972 and Game 6 of 2011). That total has now grown to five thanks to this year's Game 2 and Game 5.
