Before hitting wall, Marwin smacks record HR

BOSTON -- Marwin Gonzalez had already made his mark on Sunday night's 7-5 loss to the Red Sox with a big home run, but the Astros' jack-of-all-trades was just beginning what proved to be an adventurous -- and painful -- night.
:: ALCS schedule and results ::
Gonzalez's third-inning homer against David Price gave the Astros a 4-2 lead in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series. The 102.9 mph rocket sailed high over the Green Monster, crashing into one of the advertisement banners while quieting a previously raucous Fenway Park.
The blast put the Astros in the record books, marking their 14th consecutive postseason game with a home run. Houston had shared the record with itself, as the 2001-04 Astros -- who were part of the National League at that time -- went deep in 13 straight contests.
Dating back to Game 6 of last year's ALCS, the Astros have hit 29 home runs in those 14 games.
"We're so deep," catcher Brian McCann said. "It's a new guy every night."
In the bottom of the third, however, Gonzalez learned the hard way that the Monster isn't always friendly to those that dare approach it.
Gonzalez was tracking Steve Pearce's fly ball toward the famed left-field wall, making a leaping attempt at a catch. The ball hit Gonzalez's glove as he crashed into the wall, his back and neck taking the brunt of the collision. Gonzalez fell to the field, where manager AJ Hinch and a team athletic trainer rushed out to check on the left fielder.
"I was kind of dizzy and I was coughing a lot," Gonzalez said. "I hit my back, but it went all the way to my chest. I was pretty scared. I was dizzy for the rest of the inning and it was really painful in my chest."

Gonzalez remained in the game, and two batters later, he was dealing with his 37-foot green foe once again. With two out and the bases loaded, Jackie Bradley Jr. lifted a fly ball off the wall, but it took a strange hop and landed on the lip of the padding of the wall in foul territory. Gonzalez -- still feeling the effects of his collision -- had no choice but to wait for the ball to come down. By the time he retrieved it, all three runners had scored on the play, giving Boston a 3-2 lead.
"I really wanted to throw it; it probably would have been a close play at home plate," Gonzalez said. "But it was over the wall and I couldn't reach it. There was nothing I could do."

Gonzalez went into the clubhouse for treatment in the top of the fourth, receiving an IV before heading back out in the bottom of the inning. He's hopeful that he'll feel better after Monday's off-day, allowing him to be in the lineup for Tuesday's Game 3 at Minute Maid Park.
"I'm pretty sore, but nothing that will get me out of the field," Gonzalez said. "Let's see how I wake up tomorrow."

Gonzalez, who had two RBIs in Game 2 of the AL Division Series against Cleveland and three more in Game 3, has been one of Houston's most productive hitters this postseason. His seven RBIs are tied with teammate George Springer for the AL lead.
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"He's been huge," Springer said. "He's a guy who doesn't get enough credit for the stuff that he does. He can hit, he plays every position, he's very durable; without him in the lineup, our team is very different."