It wasn’t a screaming liner to the gap. It wasn’t sent over the fence for a home run. It wasn’t even an infield single beaten out by pure speed.
Astros pinch hitter Aledmys Diaz lofted a 98.2 mph fastball from Braves reliever Tyler Matzek. The ball traveled 232 feet. Yet, in the top of the eighth inning, that was all it took to break up the combined no-hitter Atlanta had been spinning against Houston in Game 3 of the World Series.
But that hit was one of only two on the night for the Astros as their bats were quieted by a stellar outing from starter Ian Anderson and a shutdown performance from the bullpen. An RBI double from Austin Riley in the third and a solo homer by Travis d’Arnaud in the eighth was all the run production Atlanta would need as it won 2-0 on Friday night to take a 2-1 series lead.
Game Break 