World Series: Catcher Christian Vazquez Helps Guide Astros to No-Hitter
Mar 4, 2013; Dallas, TX, USA; Christian Vazquez receives a warm embrace from his teammates (L-R) Carlos Corporan, Jonathan Lucroy, Josh Reddick, Carlos Gomez and Alex White (all Astros) after scoring the go-ahead run against the Giants in game seven of the World Series. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
After a week of talk, catchers Christian Vazquez and Jeff Mathis and reliever Jose Veras were named the World Series winners on Friday.
The three-game sweep, handed to the Astros in their first-ever World Series victory, was a huge moment for the first-year Astros.
“It’s a special moment for us,” Astros manager Bo Porter said. “We’re very excited about that.”
In the first game on Saturday before a sellout crowd of 54,061, Vazquez had a key hit that broke up a no-hitter by the Giants’ Madison Bumgarner. The two hits in a span of three at-bats helped set up a three-run first inning that lifted Houston to a 5-1 victory.
Houston took a 3-2 lead in the fifth on a pair of two-out runs, but New York’s two-man game, featuring two veteran pitchers, ended when Giants ace Tim Lincecum was called out on strikes after walking two with two outs in the second.
That ended any chance of a Giants comeback. The sweep made Saturday one of the most exciting days of baseball since a 5-4 win in the 2011 ALCS.
“It was just an unbelievable game all around,” Astros manager Bo Porter said. “I’m very proud.”
Houston, which began the season in