What a game. You could sense the anxiety in the crowd, as they were desperately waiting/hoping for any reason to get into the game. David Price was virtually unhittable and completely took away any hope/fight from the Astros players and fans. I was so happy for him last night to finally get that weight off his shoulders.
I don’t agree with the narrative that there was no pressure on Price because his team was up 3-1. I think there was a lot of pressure to finish off the series last night, as there is a lot of doubt surrounding Sale’s health and anything can happen in a game 7. I like Lou Merloni’s theory that with only 3 days off, Price didn’t have to worry about overthrowing and effecting accuracy. From warming up in the bullpen in game 4, to him being the starter in game 5, he looked like he wanted to be out there, wasn’t afraid of the moment, and was confident. I could not have been happier for the guy. BTW, it was great after the game to see him in the hallway looking to find his family. Slowly, the crowd of team friends/family members parted ways to make room for Price’s wife and son.
It was also nice to see Jackie Bradley Jr get the ALCS MVP. I understand he only had 3 hits, but they were all devastating blows that also seemed to take away some of the Astros morale. He was struggling to hit for most of the first half of the season, but he stuck with it, and boy did it pay off.