Every home run from World Series Game 2, ranked

If, for some reason, you weren’t watching Game 2 of the World Series, you missed out on a lot. There were some wild moments like Chris Taylor’s hat saving an Astros run from scoring, an attempted pick off in extra innings hitting an umpires leg instead of going all the way to the outfield, or Yasiel Puig almost making an amazing diving catch but inadvertently handing the Astros a ground rule double instead.

But mostly, there were home runs. Lots and lots of home runs.

A World Series-record setting amount actually, according to MLB’s Anthony Castrovince. Five of the eight total homers in the game came in extra innings, and as Jayson Stark points out before this game there had only been 17 extra inning home runs in the World Series in the history of baseball.

Astros beat writer Jake Kaplan reports the Astros are the first team to ever hit three home runs in extra innings of any postseason game — not just the World Series. And to put a cherry on top of all of that, the five extra-inning home runs between both teams was the most in any game, postseason or not, ever.

So yeah, a lot happened in one game. And much of the excitement came from the back-and-forth home runs that the Astros and Dodgers kept jacking.

There were so many exciting home runs, in fact, that we’re going to rank them. And then we can appreciate them all over again, and also because there’s a strong chance you’re going to want to revisit this game after some time has passed to remember just how fun it was.

8. Player: Joc Pederson
Inning: Bottom of the fifth
Result: Game tied 1-1

It’s nothing against Joc, since he hit a very worthy home run that would have gotten far more attention if it didn’t happen so (relatively) early in the game or if it had been one of three home runs instead of one of eight. It was one of only two home hits that Justin Verlander let up though, so that’s pretty cool.

7. Player: Corey Seager
Inning: Bottom of the sixth
Result: Dodgers lead 3-1

The other hit (and home run) off of Justin Verlander on the night, Seager’s home run was a nice welcome home (to the second spot in the lineup) for him and shared a lot of similarities with Justin Turner’s home run from Game 1.

It was in the sixth inning, and came right after Chris Taylor drew a two-out walk. Unlike Game 1, it wasn’t the winning home run. It was also a standard hit and run around the bases. An early moment of confidence for Dodgers fans, but nothing overly special.

6. Player: Jose Altuve
Inning: Top of the 10th
Result: Astros lead 4-3

The Astros had a lead in the third inning, and then not again until Jose Altuve hit this in extras. It’s sixth on this list mostly because the rest of the home runs were a lot cooler to watch or came in more clutch situations, but Altuve doing Altuve things shouldn’t be discounted. He did take the lead for the Astros after all, even if it wasn’t the winning run.

5. Player: Charlie Culberson
Inning: Bottom of the 11th
Result: Astros lead 7-6

Culberson was SO HAPPY after he hit this and who could really blame him. Before Corey Seager hurt his back there was a strong chance that he wouldn’t make any postseason rosters, nonetheless hit a home run in the World Series.

There was some controversy after the game as to how happily he rounded the bases, whether he actually thought he tied the game or not. He didn’t though, and part of what makes this homer great is that everybody got to watch a baseball player not rein it in on the biggest stage of his career, and just lean in to how much he enjoyed that great moment.

4. Player: Marwin Gonzalez
Inning: Top of the ninth
Result: Game tied 3-3

Gonzalez didn’t do anything truly flashy, or crazy, or unique rounding the bases. But he hit a home run off of Kenley Jansen, who had only blown one save in the entire season. He hadn’t given up a home run since Sept. 22. He hadn’t allowed an earned run all postseason, nonetheless a game-tying dinger.

It was a home run that nobody really saw coming — not even Astros fans, as much hope as they still had at that point — simply because of Jansen’s reputation and how ruthless the Dodgers bullpen had been until that point. So simply because of the shock that the Astros tied the game against a (recently) near-invincible bullpen, it was awesome.

3. Player: Carlos Correa
Inning: Top of the 10th
Result: Astros lead 5-3

What a great bat flip.

Yasiel Puig might not have had any fun flips in Game 2, but Correa more than made up for it with his the toss he did after his home run, a back-to-back jack with Altuve’s to almost the same spot in the park. Correa watched it out of the park, strolling as he tracked it, and then casually tossed that bat right out of there. Well done, and if you have Puig’s approval than that should be good enough for anybody.

2. Player: Yasiel Puig
Inning: Bottom of the 10th
Result: Astros lead 5-4

If the Dodgers won the game, this home run would have been the moment everybody pinpointed that started the rally. The Dodgers would tie things at 5-5 shortly afterwards, and if not for that meddling Springer they would have won the game in the bottom of the 11th inning.

But the reason this home run is so high is because it’s Puig, the person who laid his bat down gently before rounding the bases (because he doesn’t bat flip on dingers) and who, as recently as a year and a half ago, might not have even been in a spot like this. He mashed this shot, admired his handiwork, and then trotted around the bases. Bless Puig, who remains one of the absolute best parts of baseball even when his team loses.

1. Player: George Springer
Inning: Top of the 11th
Result: Astros lead 7-5

The game winner! Made all the better not just because it was in the top of the 11th inning, or because you can yell “Springer Dinger!” which just rolls off the tongue, but because Springer was coming off of a 3-for-30 hitting streak that had seen the Astros’ usually-fantastic leadoff batter mired in struggles for most of the ALCS and Game 1.

It also came after Verlander left the clubhouse and went all the way back to the dugout to light a fire under his teammates’ asses and try to get some more runs on the board. Looks like it worked!

So there you have it. All of the home runs from Game 2 of the World Series. They each had their own entertaining qualities, but some were just way more awesome than others.

It was a record-setting night, for both teams, so it’s unlikely we’ll see anything quite like it for the rest of this series, or soon after that either.

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How short is Jose Altuve, really? A very serious investigation