This was a game that the Tampa Bay Rays had to win, and not in a hyperbolic way. With the Houston Astros up 2-0 in the series, the Rays were on the brink of being done for good. And the Astros weren’t done bringing out stellar pitching, with Zack Greinke taking the mound for game three.
The Rays had Charlie Morton in their corner, though. Morton, who was the last pitcher on the mound in Game Seven when the Astros won it all in 2017, was now facing off against his old club in another do-or-die match. In the first inning he didn’t appear to be himself, giving up a solo home run to Jose Altuve, and generally not looking quite like the ace they needed.