World Series 2017: Astros' Game 5 euphoria tinged with empathy: 'That's a crazy game to lose'

The Astros won the most important game in the history of their franchise 39 minutes after the clock rolled past midnight in Houston. Their 13-12 victory over the Dodgers in Game 5 of the World Series was one of the most unforgettable contests in the history of the sport's championship series.MORE: A crazy Game 5, as it happenedBig hit after big hit. Comeback after comeback. Home run after home run. Stunning moment after stunning moment. Alex Bregman delivered the final stunning moment of the night, shooting a fastball from Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen into the outfield with two outs in the 10th inning of a tie game; Derek Fisher, the rookie pinch-runner who was playing in just his fourth game of the entire postseason, raced home from second with the winning run."The longest 180 feet of my life," he said with a huge smile in the clubhouse after the game.Fisher's run gave the Astros their baker's dozen. Finally, that was enough, and an epic contest ended after 5 hours and 17 minutes. The Astros players and coaches raced onto the field to celebrate. It was bedlam. They were all exhausted, physically and mentally, after surviving this contest, and their smiles of joy were equal parts excitement and relief.They earned this victory. They earned the right to celebrate, to wade into the river of joy and swim in its waters. They earned the right to be selfish for a moment."I feel bad for them, to be honest with you," Astros center fielder George Springer said in the clubhouse after the win. "That's another crazy game. That's another great game by two great teams. Five hours and however many minutes long. Twelve runs on one side, 13 on the other. That's a crazy game to lose."MORE: Three takeaways from the Astros' wild winSpringer's ability to step outside his bubble — in this case, a victorious clubhouse — is an incredibly admirable trait. Springer and his teammates spent hours and days and weeks outside their baseball bubble this summer.The region was rocked by Hurricane Harvey less than two months ago. It was a relentless storm that dumped more than 50 inches of rain in some places, over the course of a handful of horrible days. The flooding devastated southeast Texas. The country responded. Relief dollars and supplies have poured into the region. This is an area on the path to recovery, but it's not there yet.So, yes, the folks in this community understand the value of empathy. Springer does, too. It's one of the reason he's a fan favorite (though, to be fair, Astros fans have a LOT of favorites on this roster).And, yes, this loss was tough for the Dodgers. This is the second extra-inning contest they've lost through five games, and now the Astros have a 3-2 lead as the series shifts back to Los Angeles for Game 6 on Tuesday night (and Game 7 on Wednesday if the Dodgers win the first one)."There's no way to get around it," Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes said quietly in a somber clubhouse. "This one really hurts. It does."MORE: Twitter reacts to one of greatest World Series games everEverything was set up for the Dodgers. They had their ace, Clayton Kershaw, on the mound in Game 5 with the promise of playing the rest of the series at home. And when they scored three runs in the first inning off Houston starter Dallas Keuchel — and then tacked on another in the top of the fourth — it almost seemed safe to start making parade preparations.Not so fast. Springer led off the fourth with a walk, and with one out, the vaunted Astros lineup flexed its muscle. Jose Altuve singled and Carlos Correa doubled, scoring Springer. Then Yuli Gurriel crushed a three-run homer to left field and suddenly this game was tied.It was, to borrow an earlier term, a stunning turn of events. And it was just a sign of things to come. The Dodgers responded with three runs in the top of the fifth to snag a 7-4 lead. The Astros answered with three of their own in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game, 7-7.In the seventh, with a runner on first and one out, Springer dove for a line drive hit by Cody Bellinger but he missed. The ball rolled past him for a triple, and the Dodgers took the lead again at 8-7."I thought I could make a play," Springer said. "I didn't. It's a very lonely feeling to know that I made a bad decision. I'll own up to it. I should have stopped it."He didn't have to wait long to atone for that mistake. He led off the bottom of the inning, and he hit the first pitch he saw from Brandon Morrow into the train tracks b