HOUSTON—In the eye of the swirling storm around them, there was calm. There always is.
Two outs from punching their World Series ticket, the Houston Astros had just taken a punch. To lesser teams, it might have been a knockout blow. D.J. LeMahieu had just drilled a two-run homer, the desperate New York Yankees saw a crack of light and now they were pushing to muscle their way in.
Tied game, bottom of the ninth, two out and New York closer Aroldis Chapman breathing dragon fire and spitting 100 m.p.h. sliders. But he had made a mistake: He had lost George Springer.