goingon

Lowe homers twice as Rays beat Dodgers 6-4
Thursday, October 22, 2020

(ARLINGTON, TX) - Through all the struggles, all the moments when it looked like he should be dropped down in the lineup or out of it altogether, Brandon Lowe believed. He had built himself into one of the American League's best hitters, and no slump, not even one during the playoffs, could derail that. The Tampa Bay Rays kept believing in Lowe too. In Game 2 of the World Series, both were rewarded handsomely for their faith. Lowe became the first player to hit two opposite-field home runs in a World Series game, and the Rays' bullpen bent but didn't break as they held on for a 6-4 victory Wednesday night to even the series at one game apiece. The 26 year old Lowe, an All-Star in 2019 as a rookie and a down-ballot MVP candidate this year, had endured a brutal postseason: 6 for 56 with 19 strikeouts and not one multihit game among the 15 the Rays had played. Yet Tampa Bay never wavered in its confidence that Lowe would find his swing. Hitting in the No. 2 hole, he punished a 95 mph fastball from rookie starter Tony Gonsolino left field in the first inning, giving the Rays an early advantage. He piled on with a two-run shot off rookie Dustin May in the fifth inning, pushing the Rays' advantage to 5-0. Rays starter Blake Snell struck out two Dodgers in each of the first four innings. The fifth ended Snell's dreams of a no-hitter, and his night altogether. With two out, he walked Kike Hernandez and served up a home run to Chris Taylor. After a walk to Mookie Betts and a single by Corey Seager, Snell's night was over.

MORE HEADLINES