HOUSTON -- Houston Astros outfielder George Springer set a record Tuesday night when he homered in his fifth consecutive World Series game, a seventh-inning blast off Washington Nationals reliever Tanner Rainey that sailed 428 feet to left-center field.
Springer had homered in the final four games of the 2017 World Series for the Astros, winning MVP honors in the process; he batted .379 with five home runs as the Astros won in seven games over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The 30-year-old had shared the record of four consecutive games with Lou Gehrig (who did it over the 1928 and 1932 World Series) and Reggie Jackson (who did it over the 1977 and 1978 Series).
"I'd rather win," Springer said of the accomplishment following Houston's 5-4 loss in Game 1. "I mean, cool. Great. It's an honor ... but no doubt about it. I'd rather win."
Springer's home runs:
Game 4, 2017: Sixth inning off Dodgers' Alex Wood (nobody on)
Game 5, 2017: Seventh inning off Dodgers' Brandon Morrow (nobody on)
Game 6, 2017: Third inning off Dodgers' Rich Hill (nobody on)
Game 7, 2017: Second inning off Dodgers' Yu Darvish (one on)
Game 1, 2019: Seventh inning off Washington's Rainey (nobody on)
Springer also now has an extra-base hit in seven consecutive World Series games, extending his own record.
He added an RBI double in the eighth inning, just missing a home run as the ball hit off the top of the fence in right-center. Houston's Kyle Tucker was on second base as Nationals right fielder Adam Eaton made a leaping grab at the ball and it bounced away from him.
Springer has the speed to make it to third base on the play, and had he reached third, he might have later scored to tie the game on Jose Altuve's fly ball to right field, but he said he had to hold up out of the batter's box.
"I was watching [Eaton] the whole time," Springer said. "That's one of those things where I don't want to necessarily run as fast as I can, because for some reason, if [Tucker] tags or whatever the case and I run by him, it's not good. So I was just kind of watching the outfielder."
Springer said he wasn't kicking himself for not reaching third base on the play.
"Well, no, because I can't go to third right there because the guy on second had gone back to tag," he said. "If I had gone to third, I'm out."