Braves 0-0 Astros, Bottom 1st So, let’s see what Max Fried has on short rest. Jose Altuve is starting for the Astros. On a 1-1 pitch, Altuve legs out a single that the infielders do their best to try to catch him on first. Braves 0-0 Astros, Top 1st Another 0-2 count for Garcia who makes it a 0-3 count quickly by getting Freddie Freeman to swing and miss. What a ridiculously good start for Garcia and Houston will take it. Braves 0-0 Astros, Top 1st Garcia gets Jorge Soler 0-2 count, but then he throws three straight balls. Full count on Soler, who swings and misses on a pitch way underneath the strike zone. First pitch Braves 0-0 Astros, Top 1st Garcia’s first pitch is against Eddie Rosario and it’s a called strike. 0-1. Rosario’s next swing results in a foul ball. 0-2. Rosario hits what looks like it’s going to be a single but Kyle Tucker makes a wild catch in the outfield for the first out of the game. Considering the pitching situation, manager Dusty Baker honestly wouldn’t mind having him for three batters at some point today. UPDATE: The country’s singer’s name was Carly Pearce. Hmmm, a one-sided slugfest. Well, just speaking as someone who is committed to this game until the very end, I certainly hope it’s a tad more dramatic. National anthem Also according to the AP, Minute Maid Park’s roof will be open. The temperature seems, well, temperate: “It was 78 degrees when early batting practice started Tuesday and skies were mostly clear.” Oh and we have the National Anthem and per tradition, I’ve tuned in just in time to miss the introduction. It’s a female country singer who does a solid job. 8/10. Game 7 starters? Um, I feel like this is putting the cart before the horse here, Dusty Baker but you do you. Interesting factoid, considering how many big innings there have been this World Series and how poorly Bregman has been producing. Predictions I predicted this one would end in six games and I’m keeping with that prediction. Yes, I also predicted that the Astros would win, but let’s not quibble with such minor details as “which team will win the World Series.” Let’s say Houston’s bats go cold again and the Braves win a 3-1 nailbiter. Agree? Disagree? Send us your predictions here. In case you need a reminder, we’ll be using your emails (send them to hunter.felt.freelance@theguardian.com) or tweets (to @HunterFelt). So have the ratings for this World Cup gotten any better as it’s gone longer and, theoretically, more competitive Well, a little, but not too much. Should you really care about this if you don’t happen to work for MLB or FOX? Probably not, but I figure it’s interesting if you happened to be curious about how attractive this series has been for casual fans. Houston Astros starting lineup 1. Jose Altuve, 2B 2. Michael Brantley, RF 3. Carlos Correa, SS 4. Yordan Alvarez, LF 5. Yuli Gurriel, 1B 6. Kyle Tucker, CF 7. Alex Bregman, 3B 8. Jorge Siri, CF 9. Martin Maldonado, C Atlanta Braves starting lineup 1. Eddie Rosario, LF 2. Jorge Soler, DH 3. Freddie Freeman, 1B 4. Austin Riley, 3B 5. Adam Duvall, CF 6. Joc Pederson, RF 7. Ozzie Albies, 2B 8. Travis d’Arnaud, C 9. Dansby Swanson, SS One hitter that we won’t be seeing, according to the AP: “Atlanta Braves infielder/outfielder Ehire Adrianza was placed on the postseason paternity list ahead of World Series Game 6 on Tuesday night and replaced on the active roster by infielder Johan Camargo.” Adrianza is eligible to return for Game 7, should such a thing exist. R.I.P. Jerry Remy Like many here in New England, I’m still mourning the loss of former Boston Red Sox second baseman and longtime local broadcaster Jerry Remy. Remy, who had been fighting cancer off-and-on for years, died on Sunday at the age of 68. We actually covered his last public appearance, which was to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at Fenway Park before the Red Sox’s Wild Card game against the New York Yankees. Although clearly ailing, the Massachusetts native must have enjoyed watching his team beat the Yankees one final time. Although a fine player during his peak, it was through the microphone that he truly secured his legacy in Boston. Beyond just being a great in-game analyst, Remy shined in those slow moments where he was given free rein to vamp. If there’s one clip that will live on for as long as it’s legal to share MLB videos, it will be a little piece of footage entitled “Here Comes The Pizza.” Enjoy. Preamble I honestly didn’t think I would have to come to work today. The Atlanta Braves came back to defeat the Houston Astros in Game 4—after Houston had many, many chances to blow the game open in their favor—it looked like they wouldn’t survive past the next game. Yet, because the 2021 World Series has no rhyme or reason to it, the Astros staved off elimination in Game 5 and brought the series back in Houston. The Astros are still in trouble mind you, Atlanta has two chances to win one game and thus their first championship since 1995. Now, of course, it should be a tad trickier with the Braves now having to win one of those games on the road. They don’t want to rely on needing to win a Game 7 because, as a wise baseballer from ye olden days once put it, in a Game 7, “anything can happen.” The Braves want to wrap it up here and for that purpose, they are bringing Max Fried on the mound while the Astros are starting Luis Garcia. Of course, this is assuming that the starting pitchers even affect the final outcome, which we’ve learned is very much not the norm this World Series. Given that they are a loss away from elimination, look for the Astros, in particular, to be extremely aggressive in employing their pitching staff: it’s all hands on deck today. There might not be a tomorrow. As always, we look forward to your contributions throughout today’s game. You can either email us your World Series/baseball related thoughts (to hunter.felt.freelance@theguardian.com) or tweet them at us (to @HunterFelt) and we’ll use them in this liveblog over the course of the next few hours. First pitch is scheduled around 8:09 pm EST but we’ll be back beforehand to set the scene. It’s Game 6 of the World Series between the Atlanta Braves and the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park! Hunter will be here shortly. In the meantime here’s a look back at Sunday night’s Game 5.