Braves lose 1st home game this postseason, World Series going back to Houston

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — The Atlanta Braves had a chance to win their first World Series title in 26 years in front of their home crowd.

Instead, the Houston Astros fought off elimination with a 9-5 win at Truist Park Sunday night. It was the first time the Braves have lost at home all postseason.

The series now goes back to Houston for Game 6 on Tuesday night. The Braves still hold a 3-2 series lead. No team has clinched a World Series at home since the Red Sox did it in 2013.

““If we win the World Series, it doesn’t matter where it is,” manager Brian Snitker said. “I’d have loved to have done it in front of our fans. Hopefully, we can do it the next couple of days.”

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Astros manager Dusty Baker said Sunday night actually felt like a World Series game for his team. The rainy conditions in Game 3 and 4 didn’t give Houston a chance to practice on the field beforehand and soak in the atmosphere.

“It felt like the World Series, where the others felt like we were coming out of the dungeon and just going to play. So that was big, the fact that we got to get on the field,” Baker said.

Everything started off right for the Braves in Game 5. Atlanta loaded up the bases and Adam Duvall made the most of it with a grand slam to go up 4-0 in the first.

The Astros, one of the top hitting teams all season, fought back in the third inning to tie the game up 4-4.

“It’s a nine inning ballgame. We celebrated it. We got excited, and that’s what you do when you hit home runs, but it’s a long game. That happened in the bottom of the first. It’s a nine inning game, and they didn’t quit. They kept fighting,” Duvall said.

[PHOTOS: Astros beat Braves 9-5 in World Series Game 5]

In the bottom of the third inning, Atlanta took the lead once again on a solo home run by Freddie Freeman.

But the team found itself on the opposite side of a bases loaded situation the next inning. After an intentional walk to Martin Maldonado, a single from Marwin Gonzalez gave the Astros their first lead of the game 7-5.

“It’s just one of those games where it was a battle for both sides. You’ve got to tip your hat for Houston just staying in the game, just battling the at-bats and battling hits, and baseball happened tonight,” A.J. Minter said.

Another single from Maldonado in the seventh pushed the Houston lead, 8-5. The Astros tacked on more insurance in the eighth. Maldonado entered the game 4-for-41 in the postseason. He finished the night with three RBIs.

“It means a lot. Every time you’ve got a chance to help the team win one way or another, it’s always huge,” the Astros catcher said.

Game 6 will be Tuesday night at Minute Maid Park. First pitch is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. eastern.

The Braves will likely look to Max Fried, who looked shaky in his last two road starts this postseason. The Astros meanwhile will turn to Luis Garcia.

“The pressure’s still on us because they’ve got the lead. They’ve got to win one, and we’ve got to win two. But the fact is we are going home. We didn’t want to end here with the celebration here,” Baker said.

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