Photo Credit: Shanna Lockwood
Houston: Yuli Gurriel smashed a home run off Yu Darvish to spark a four-run outburst that led the Houston Astros over the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-3 Friday in the World Series.
But it's what the Cuban slugger did when he returned to the Astros dugout that sparked post-game controversy and could lead to discipline from Major League Baseball.
Television cameras showed Gurriel using his fingers to pull the outer edges of his eyes wide in what appeared to be a racist gesture aimed at Darvish, who lasted only 1 2/3 innings, the shortest outing of his career, and allowed four runs on six hits.
"Acting like that was just disrespectful to people all over the world," Darvish said through a translator. "I feel like the Astros have Asian fans too."
The Astros took a 2-1 edge in the best-of-seven championship series ahead of game four Saturday in Houston, where major league commissioner Rob Manfred is expected to meet with Gurriel over the gesture.
"I know he's remorseful," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. "But other than that, I don't know a lot."
The Astros, who unleashed a 12-hit barrage against Los Angeles, seek the first crown in their 55-year history while the Dodgers are trying for a seventh championship and their first since 1988.
With the victory, the Astros matched the best home playoff start in major league history, Philadelphia's 7-0 run from 2008.
"The energy in the building is second to none. It's loud," Hinch said. There's great enthusiasm around our fanbase. They've fallen in love with this team."
Darvish, obtained in a July trade with Texas, became only the second Japanese starting pitcher in a World Series game after former Boston Red Sox star Daisuke Matsuzaka in 2007.
But after Gurriel's homer, he surrendered two doubles and two singles and issued a walk before being removed by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
"The fastball command wasn't there and the slider was backing up. So he just really didn't have the feel and couldn't get any type of rhythm going," Roberts said.
Darvish threw 31 strikes in his 49 pitches but only one was a batter's swinging miss, that a botched bunt attempt by Gonzalez.
Houston stranded 12 base runners, at least one in every inning, and left the bases loaded in the seventh when George Springer's fly out was only a few feet shy of a grand slam.
The Dodgers scored a run in the third after Astros starter Lance McCullers Jnr walked three batters to load the bases with none out. Corey Seager's run-scoring double play and a Justin Turner ground out ended the threat.
"I didn't have much from the get-go. I was not really able to locate pretty much anything. So in the third inning just wasn't making my pitches," McCullers said.
Houston stretched the lead to 5-1 in the fifth when Reddick singled and scored from first on an error by Dodgers relief pitcher Tony Watson.
Unforgettable Peacock
The Dodgers answered in the sixth when Seager walked, took third on a Turner double and scored on Yasiel Puig's ground out to shortstop. Turner later scored on a wild pitch from Astros reliever Brad Peacock to pull Los Angeles within 5-3.
But Peacock baffled Dodgers batters over the final 3 2/3 innings, allowing no hits with four strikeouts.
"I don't think I was going to make the team in spring training... and I just had a save in the World Series. It's unbelievable," Peacock said. "I'm never going to forget this, ever."
McCullers was impressed by Peacock's shutdown effort with the game on the line.
"I grinded through every out I had. Pea just absolutely flourished with the opportunity," McCullers said. "To see the way Pea was throwing the ball, I can't say enough. He was unbelievable."
