The Houston Astros are one win away from winning their second World Series title in franchise history. The Astros defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 5 at Citizens Bank Park on Thursday night (HOU 3, PHI 2) to give Houston a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. Game 6 and, if desired, Game 7 will take place this weekend at Minute Maid Park.
In the first inning, it looked like Game 5 would be a chaotic game with many runs and a lot of craziness, but that chaotic game never materialized. Game 5 became a duel of the junior pitchers, with lots of traffic and wasted opportunities on both sides. The two teams went 2-for-18 on aggregate with runners in scoring position.
Here are the highlights from Game 5 and a summary of Game 6.
1. There was a big swing in the first time
The first inning of Game 1 was a big swing, if you believe in the momentum of the sport. Jose Altuve started Game 5 with a double and rolled up at third base on an error by Brandon Marsh. I pushed him with a passing single. The Phillies hit the infield in the first inning! you don’t see it often.
With two batters in the game, it was clear that Noah Syndergaard would be out for long. He ran full his count on Jordan his Alvarez and the Astros ran Peña on his 3-2 pitch. Alvarez threw a high fastball and JT Realmut threw Peña with a strike ’em out, throw ’em out double play that killed Larry. This throw was picture perfect:
If Alvarez had a high fastball, the Astros were undefeated at first and second base, and Syndergaard was in trouble. Instead, the bases emptied with two outs and Syndergaard breathed new life. He struck out Alex Bregman to end the inning, Kyle Schwarber hit a leadoff homer on the second pitch in the bottom of the first inning and picked off the pitcher..
Schwarber’s leadoff home run was the 26th in World Series history and the first by a Philly. It was also Schwarber’s third postseason leadoff home run in his career, tying Jimmy Rollins and Hall of Famer Derek his Jeter for the all-time record. He was one of the best fastball hitters in the game and was ready for Justin Verlander’s uphill heater.
Thanks to a double play and Schwalber’s home run, the Astros were leading 1–0 and threatening to put out crooked numbers on the board, but ended up in a 1–1 tie after six pitches. Let’s take a look at the basic win rate.
- Alvarez takes ball 4 (runners on 1st and 2nd, no outs): Phillies have a 34.6% chance of winning Game 5
- After a strikeout, throw a double play: Phillies have a 47.3% chance of winning Game 5
- After Schwalber’s tying home run: Phillies have a 59.4% chance of winning Game 5
That’s a pretty big swing in odds, especially in such a short period of time (3 hitters and 6 pitches). Regardless, the Phillies lost Game 5, but that first inning prevented Houston from getting away early. The game was a close game until the end of the game, with a double play and a home run by Schwalber in the first inning.
2. Houston’s no-hitter streak is over
The Phillies had a no-hitter off Cristian Javier and three Astros relievers in Game 4. As far back as his sixth inning in Game 3, Philadelphia’s offense was his 11-inning no-hitter streak. No team has so many at-bats in the Fall Classic.
It didn’t take long for the Phillies to get into hit column in Game 2. Schwarber sent Verlander’s second pitch right to his seat and hit the leadoff homer, making it Philadelphia’s first pitch in Game 5 since Rhys his Hoskins knocked Lance his McCullers Jr. deep. I got my first hit. The 0.36 winning streak is over. His 11-inning no-hitter record for Houston tied the 1939 Yankees for the longest time in World Series history.
3. Pena keeps hitting
One RBI single gave Peña a hit in all five World Series games (and a six-game hitting streak dating back to the ALCS), and he added to his World Series hit total with four go-ahead home runs. . He socked Syndergaard’s 44th and final pitch over the left field wall to give the Astros a 2–1 lead. This didn’t seem to go away any time soon, but now:
Peña is the first rookie shortstop in history. — Hit a home run in the World Series. The home run was Peña’s ninth extra-base hit (five doubles and four home runs) this October, and his third-most for a rookie in a single postseason. . Only Landia Rosarena (14 of his 20 games in 2020) and Yuri Gurriel (10 of his 18 games in 2017) have slugged more as postseason rookies.
In the eighth inning, Peña helped give the Astros an insurance run with a textbook hit-and-run that poked once into right field. In Game 5 he went 3-for-4, and Worlds overall he’s 21-for-8 (.381). He’s got at least one more game to play, but at this point, Peña is more of a contender for World Series MVP than anyone else. This was after winning his ALCS MVP.
4. Verlander finally won the World Series
No pitcher in history has started a World Series game without recording a win like Verlander. Going into Game 5, he was 0-6 with a 6.07 his ERA in his eight career World Series starts, including blowing a 5-0 lead in Game 1 of this series. It wasn’t easy, but Verlander finally got his first World Series win in Game 5.In fact, this was not Verlander’s first World Series win. If you can believe it, it was the first time he finished a World Series game leading.
Astros manager Dusty Baker said of Verlander before Game 5, “Oh yeah, I got a lot of confidence. I mean, this guy has a great career and he’s not done yet.” Told. Everyone wonders, is he wearing a short string? I mean, no, he doesn’t have a string at all.I mean, he’s Justin Verlander.Who No one can get out of trouble better than him. increase.
The Phillies had a chance to face Verlander early in Game 5. After Schwalber hit the leadoff home run, the Phillies grounded runners on first base in the first inning, left the bases loaded in the second, and ran runners on first and second bases in the third. Six runners were stuck in the first three innings. We can’t let Verlander escape like that and hope for victory. Hoskins, Bryson Stott and Nick Castellanos all ended the inning with ducks in the pond.
After five of the first 10 batters Verlander faced reached base, he calmed down and retired 10 of the final 13 batters he faced to go through five innings. I was allowed to. Verlander’s four walks were the most in a game since June 2019, and Schwalber’s home run was his 10th home run he allowed in his World Series. That’s the most ever. But a win is a win, and Verlander now has one win at Worlds in his series.
Also, Verlander’s career 6.07 ERA going into Game 5 was the best in World Series history (minimum 30 innings). He scored his one run in five innings on Thursday night, bringing his ERA down to his 5.63 and no longer sitting at the top of the leaderboard. Carl’s Erskine ERA of 5.83 is the best in Worlds history for his series. That’s not the stat you want to lead. Verlander broke away from the top spot and won Game 5.
5. The Phillies failed to get a big hit.Astros get big play
The Phillies had an opportunity to score in Game 5, not just against Verlander. They had 10 runners on base in the first seven innings, but scored only one run on Schwalber’s home run. Philadelphia’s best chance to break through came when they scored two against Rafael Montero in the eighth inning, and Jean Segura played a run on a single to right to bring the Phillies within 3-2. did.
Segura’s single, dating back to Game 1, broke the team’s 0-20 rut with runners in scoring position. Only the 1966 Dodgers and his 1980 Royals (both of which he went 0-of-22) have achieved longer streaks. Considering that, and the fact that the Astros led 5-0 in his three of his first four games, it’s a miracle the series is this competitive.
Segura’s single put the Phillies with a runner in the corner, setting them up with one out and sending Baker to the closer Ryan Presley. Pressly quickly beat Marsh with his three pitches, and Trey Mancini saved the game with his Schwarber’s hard-hitting ground ball to first base. If this beats Mancini, he’ll likely score two runs and give the Phillies a 4-3 lead.
Schwarber and Bryce Harper combined to hit 23-for-8 (.348) with three homers and nine walks in the World Series. At the other end of the spectrum, Hoskins, Realmut and Castellanos combined 9-for-62 (.145) with 28 strikeouts. You can’t win many games. Much less can a hitter like the Astros beat his three-man team. thatIn all fairness to Realmoot, He was robbed by Chas McCormick in the 9th inning of Game 5 with a base hit.This was a hell of a catch:
The fact of the matter is that the Phillies struck out McCullers with five home runs in less than five innings in Game 3, and since then they have only scored two runs in 21 offensive innings. Either the Phillies bat wakes up in Game 6 or they lose the series. Their pitching has been pretty good this series, but the players on the mound need more support.
6. Gurriel finally strikes out
It took 49 at-bats, but Gurriel finally struck out in the postseason. Connor Brogdon fanned him with a heightened fastball to end the top of the fourth inning. His 49 at-bats without a strikeout is his third-most in a postseason start. Here is the leaderboard:
- Joey Cora, 1995 Mariners: 51 (all of his postseason at-bats)
- David Eckstein, 2006 Cardinals: 50
- Yuri Gurriel, 2022 Astros: 49
- Yuri Gurriel, 2019 Astros: 48
- Tim Foley, 1979 Pirates: 48 (all of his postseason at-bats)
Gurriel went into Game 5 with a .266/.321/.387 postseason at-bat, batting two homers and walking for 47 in 16 (.340), striking out in the postseason. Getting the bat on the ball against high-end pitching is an invaluable skill in October, and Gurriel certainly has it, even at 38.
It should be noted that Gurriel ended Game 5 after inadvertently kneeling his head during the rundown, with one eighth inning. Gurriel slipped and fell, and Hoskins stumbled while tagging along. He was replaced in the eighth inning by Mancini, who made a game-saving play on Schwalber’s ground ball.
7. The Astros have a title on their doorstep
Historically, teams leading 3-2 in the Best of Seven have gone on to win series 70% of the time, including 68% of World Series wins. You have two chances to win one match to win the championship (as in 2017). That said, Houston remained in the same position in 2019, losing Games 6 and 7 at home to the Washington Nationals. The final victory is always the hardest.
8. Next
Friday is travel day and the World Series resumes in Houston on Saturday night. Either way, the World Series will be decided in Texas at Minute Maid Park for his third time in the last four years and fourth year in a row. Game 2 starters Zach Wheeler (12-7, 2.28 ERA) and Flamber Valdes (17-6, 2.82 ERA) will be on the mound for Game 6.
