ATLANTA — By the time the third inning ended on Friday night, after seven batters and 33 pitches and one meager run, the game seemed to be a montage of missed chances for Atlanta.
It was also, it turned out, enough: With a pitching staff that carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning and with a late home run to add to its margin, Atlanta skirted past the Houston Astros, 2-0, in Game 3 of the World Series.
The win gave the Braves a lead of two games to one in the best-of-seven showdown, and it was the first World Series victory for Atlanta at home since 1996. Indeed, at a glittering, chilled and damp Truist Park, which began the day with a touching tribute to Hank Aaron, Atlanta seemed to recall its past of pitching master classes and, somehow, to summon another.