Los Angeles: Houston home-run hero George Springer said the support of Astros manager AJ Hinch had proved crucial after his 11th-inning blast downed the Los Angeles Dodgers to level the World Series on Wednesday.

Springer smashed a two-run homer to give the Astros what turned out to be a game-winning lead at Dodger Stadium to complete a thrilling turnaround as the Fall Classic heads to Texas for game three on Friday.

It was a personal triumph for the 28-year-old centrefielder, who had been plagued by poor form so far in the Astros’ postseason campaign.

In game one on Tuesday, Springer went 0-4 with four strikeouts, once again fuelling speculation about his place in the starting line-up.

Astros manager Hinch, however, had publicly declared his support for the embattled slugger, insisting he retained confidence in him.

“George Springer has way more good days than bad days, and way more good stretches than bad stretches,” Hinch told reporters just a few hours before game two got under way.

“So I’m going to continue to encourage him. He’s going to lead off.”

Hinch’s faith in Springer was granted a spectacular reward with his dramatic knockout blow off Dodgers’ reliever Brandon McCarthy.

Springer later admitted the words of support from Hinch had found their mark.

“It was huge,” Springer said. “Obviously didn’t have my best game last night, and as a player you tend to know it.

“So for him to have my back and to say that ‘Hey, you’re still going to hit first, and you’re still going to set the tone for us, it slowed me down,” Springer said.

“For him to have my back, it means the world to me. And I’ll always have his back. And that just shows who he is.”

Hinch, a psychology graduate, said he had never doubted Springer’s ability to deliver when it mattered.

“He’s an incredible player. I don’t really ride the roller coaster with players,” he told reporters.

“You have to believe in what they can do, not what they’re doing. If you respond to every bad game or tough game, you’ll bounce these guys around and ruin their confidence in a heartbeat.

“I believe in players, and I specifically believe in George, and tonight is an example why. He had a bad night [on Tuesday] and came back with one of the best nights.”

Springer, meanwhile, said the Astros would now head back to Texas confident of taking a grip on the series with three home games starting on Friday.

“It’s huge. For us to come into a tough place and play a very, very good team and split is absolutely huge,” he said.