The View from Houston
(Yes, They Have a Problem)

Astros lose heartbreaker at bitter end

Oswalt lets 4-run lead get away in 5th inning

By JOSE DE JESUS ORTIZ
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

Texans waited 44 seasons to have their first World Series game in the Lone Star State, and they must wait at least one more day for the Astros to win in the Fall Classic.

Former Astro Geoff Blum hit a solo home run in the 14th inning to lead the American League champion Chicago White Sox to a 7-5 victory on Tuesday night in Game 3 of the 101st World Series at Minute Maid Park.

With two outs in the 14th, Blum ripped Astros rookie Ezequiel Astacio's 2-0 pitch over the right-field wall, pushing the Astros to the brink of elimination.

"I just can't explain what it feels like to hit a home run in the World Series, let alone hit a game-winning home run, especially in a game that hard and that we played that hard," Blum said.

The White Sox added another run, but Blum's shot was the one that sent a pall through what was left of the sellout crowd of 42,848, which at one point included former first lady Barbara Bush, Attorney General and Houston native Alberto R. Gonzales and Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan.

"You can talk about all the weird things that happened in this game, but the stars are aligned right," Blum said. "The roof was open, and they were looking down on us, and they took care of us tonight."

The Astros, who saw ace righthander Roy Oswalt give up five runs in the fifth to lose a 4-0 lead, trail the best-of-seven series 3-0.

"If we had a lead right now, I don't know if we'd know what to do with it," said Astros closer Brad Lidge, who threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings. "So we might as well be down 3-0."

The Astros had only one hit after the fourth inning. They left 15 men on base.

Astros righthander Brandon Backe will try to stave off elimination tonight in Game 4 at Minute Maid Park against former Astros prospect Freddy Garcia.

"It's going to be tough," Oswalt said after giving up five runs on eight hits with five walks and three strikeouts in six-plus innings. "Hopefully, we'll get Backe going and get him some runs early. He always pitches well at home."

The 2004 World Series champion Boston Red Sox are the only team to win a postseason series after falling behind 3-0, accomplishing the feat against the New York Yankees last season in the American League Championship Series.

The National League champion Astros have overcome countless obstacles this year while becoming the first team since the 1914 Boston Braves to go from 15 games under .500 to the World Series.

The longest night

They say everything is bigger in Texas. Now they can officially say they play World Series games longer here, too, because Game 3 equaled the longest game in World Series history. The Red Sox beat the Brooklyn Dodgers in 14 innings in Game 2 of the 1916 World Series.

But in terms of time, Tuesday's was the longest in Series history at 5 hours, 41 minutes, surpassing the previous record of 4:51 set during Game 1 of the Subway Series between the New York Yankees and Mets on Oct. 21, 2000.

At the end, it came down to a fastball Astacio left up for Blum.

"They gave me a chance to pitch in a World Series game, so just imagine," Astacio said. "I couldn't do it."

Leading 4-0, Oswalt labored through the fifth inning as the White Sox scored five runs while sending 11 batters to the plate. He was saved from the decision when Jason Lane hit a two-out RBI double to left in the eighth.

White Sox righthander Jon Garland gave up seven hits and four runs (two earned) with two walks, four strikeouts and a home run. He got a no-decision when his bullpen failed to hold the 5-4 lead in the eighth.

The night started of well for the Astros. Craig Biggio led off the game with a double to left, collecting the first World Series hit in the state of Texas at 7:47 p.m. One out later, Lance Berkman gave the Astros a 1-0 lead at 7:51 p.m. with a single to left.

Shortly after Adam Everett led off the third with an infield single to short, he was almost caught stealing. He escaped when shortstop Juan Uribe hit him with his throw to first.

Second chance pays off

Given a reprieve, Everett advanced to second on Oswalt's sacrifice and scored on Biggio's RBI single through the right side at 8:25 p.m. One out later, Berkman singled to right. Morgan Ensberg's single through the left side made it 3-0.

Lane gave the Astros a 4-0 lead with a leadoff homer to left-center field in the fourth inning, delivering the first World Series home run in Texas exactly an hour after Biggio delivered the first hit.

Chicago countered with its five-run rally in the fifth when Oswalt needed a career-high 46 pitches for one inning. Joe Crede led off with a homer to right. Uribe followed with a single to center. After Garland struck out, Scott Podsednik singled through the right side. Tadahito Iguchi cut the Astros' lead to 4-2 with an RBI single up the middle. Jermaine Dye made it 4-3 with a blooper to center.

Oswalt retired Paul Konerko on a fly out to center for the second out, but A. J. Pierzynski gave the White Sox a 5-4 lead with a two-run double to right-center.

Aaron Rowand followed with a walk, bringing Crede back to the plate.

Oswalt hit Crede with a pitch, loading the bases. He escaped further damage on by inducing Uribe's fly out to right.

"We've been down all year," Oswalt said. "We'll come out tomorrow and be better tomorrow. That's one thing about this team. We never give up."

The Astros had a chance to win in the ninth but stranded the bases loaded. Righthander Orlando Hernandez walked three, but Ensberg struck out to end the inning. They also stranded two in the 10th, two in the 11th and two in the 14th.