Astros Fall To Braves In Game 6 To End World Series Hopes

HOUSTON, TX — Pitcher Max Fried was dominant through six innings, and Jorge Soler led a power surge for the Atlanta Braves, who sunk the Houston Astros 7-0 in Game 6 on Tuesday at Minute Maid Park to claim their first World Series title since 1995.

The Astros lost in the World Series for the second time in three seasons and were searching for their first title since 2017.

Soler was named World Series MVP after hitting .300 with three home runs in the series, becoming the first Cuban player to win the award since Livan Hernandez with the Florida Marlins in 1997. Soler smashed the decisive home run of Game 6 in the third inning when he hit the eighth pitch from Houston starter Luis Garcia into the left-field seats for a 3-0 Atlanta lead.

"I had seen everything he was throwing at me," Soler said through an interpreter on FOX's broadcast. "I fouled a couple pitches, and then he hung the slider, and I was able to drive it."

Fried mowed down the Astros lineup, throwing just 74 pitches in six innings and giving up four hits while striking out six and walking none. It was the first time a starting pitcher recorded an out in the sixth inning during the series.

Fried retired 17 straight batters before Michael Brantley reached on an infield single with two outs in the sixth. Brantley had been the last batter to reach, too, when he stepped on Fried’s ankle on a close play at first in the first inning.

Tyler Matzek pitched the seventh and eighth innings, striking out four and giving up just one hit, and Will Smith pitched a scoreless ninth to send the Braves into a celebration on the mound after shortstop Dansby Swanson threw to first baseman Freddie Freeman for the final out.

"It's what you dream about every year when you start spring training," Freeman said on FOX's broadcast.

Swanson added to the Braves' lead in the fifth with a two-run homer, and Freeman added an RBI double later in the inning to make it 6-0. Freeman's solo homer in the seventh extended the lead to 7-0.

Soler's homer knocked Garcia from the game, starting a long march through the Astros' bullpen. Houston used eight pitchers in Game 6 with none going for more than two innings except Garcia.

The Astros came from behind 4-0 in Game 5 to win 9-5 but couldn't muster that same magic to extend the series to a winner-take-all Game 7.

Houston sputtered on offense again as it had done throughout much of the series. Alex Bregman went 0 for 3 with two strikeouts and finished the series hitting .095. Several of his hard-hitting Astros teammates didn't fare much better as Yordan Alvarez hit .100 and Jose Altuve hit .222.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.