Oh my dear lord, what a game! The Houston Astros eliminated the Braves 7-6 in the longest MLB playoff game in history ..
eighteen freaking innings!!
Down by 5-1 in the 7th --- in a microcosm of their season --- it looked as if the Astros were staring another game vs the Braves in the face. But with their bats on the firing line, the Astros prevailed in the longest MLB playoff game in history. Chris Burke's bottom-of-the-18th line drive homer into the left field Crawford boxes, laid the Braves low for the second year in a row. The 'Stros have advanced; oh, baby, it feels good!
Game 2 starter Hall-of-Famer Roger Clemens was very strong off the bench, coming up big in relief with three shutout innings.
I was yelling in triumph after Burke's walkoff homer. My 3-y/o son Jake told me I shouldn't shout in the house (I've told him the same thing time and again), but after I explained the situation so he could understand, he was running around the living room with his little arms in the air yelling "Go Astwos!!!!"
From Astros.com:
Chris Burke's solo homer off Joey Devine in the 18th inning led the Houston Astros to a 7-6 win over the Atlanta Braves, sending the home team to their second straight National League Championship Series before a frenzied crowd of 43,413 on Sunday afternoon (and early evening) at Minute Maid Park.
The game lasted 18 innings -- the longest in Major League postseason history. It became an endurance test for the hitters, who were at the obvious disadvantage as they grew weary while the relievers entered the game relatively fresh.
Following Brad Ausmus' game-tying homer with two outs in the ninth, the teams would play the entire length of a regulation game -- nine more innings -- without scoring a run.
Burke's homer arrived after Roger Clemens pitched three scoreless innings, leading The Rocket to his first win of the 2005 postseason.
Burke was hitting third after pinch-running for Lance Berkman in the 10th.
The Astros rallied from a 6-1 deficit, plating four runs in the eighth and one in the ninth.
I don't mind going up against (and perhaps losing to) the Cardinals: they're an excellent baseball team. But I hate the Braves, so this victory is sweeeeeeeeet.