Swanson, Soler home runs carry Braves to brink of ultimate glory

WASHINGTON – Dansby Swanson and Jorge Soler smashed back-to-back home runs and the Atlanta Braves defeated Houston 3-2 on Saturday to reach the brink of their first World Series title since 1995.

Swanson and Soler hammered solo blasts in the seventh inning to grab the lead as the Braves seized a 3-1 edge in Major League Baseball’s best-of-seven final, which could end with Game 5 Sunday in Atlanta.

“It’s such a cool moment for this city but we’ve got one more and we can’t take anything for granted,” Swanson said. “We’ve got to be ready and come out and play our game tomorrow.”

The Braves, who improved to 7-0 at home in this year’s playoffs, are playing in the World Series for the first time since 1999.

The Astros are in the World Series for the third time in five seasons, seeking their first crown since 2017.

“We’ve got to win tomorrow,” said 72-year-old Astros manager Dusty Baker, chasing his first title as a manager. “We’ve had our backs to the wall before. Our guys know what we have to do.”

Houston relief pitcher Cristian Javier entered in the seventh inning and the 24-year-old Dominican right-hander was tagged for back-to-back solo homers by US slugger Swanson to right field and Cuban pinch-hitter Soler to left field that gave the Braves a 3-2 advantage.

“In that moment, the ‘compete’ factor went through the roof,” Swanson said. “Something amazing happened.”

When Soler followed him with what proved to be the winning run, Swanson said, “I told him you didn’t have to one-up me by hitting yours so hard.”