JT Realmuto homered in the 10th inning, and the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Houston Astros 6-5 in the World Series opener on Friday night, thanks to Nick Castellanos’ sliding catch in right field.
The Phillies were the first team in 20 years to overcome a five-run deficit and win a World Series game after falling behind 5-0 early against Astros ace Justin Verlander.
They can thank Castellanos for the opportunity. With two outs and a runner on second with two outs in the ninth inning, he sprinted in to make a spectacular catch on Jeremy Pea’s blooper. He is better known for his bat than his glove.
Rob Thomson, manager of the Philadelphia Phillies, stated, “Overall, it was a terrific game, a great come-from-behind victory, and it just showed the club’s resiliency and how tough they are and how they never give up.”
Realmuto, who delivered a two-run double off Verlander in the fifth inning to tie the game, completed the comeback in the 10th inning by blasting a fastball from Luis Garca into the right field seats. Since Carlton Fisk’s walk-off home run in the 12th inning of Game 6 of the 1975 World Series against Cincinnati at Fenway Park, the 31-year-old is the first catcher to hit an extra-inning home run in the World Series.
Big-hitting Bryce Harper adds two singles to his World Series debut for the Phillies.
Two home runs were hit by Kyle Tucker for the undefeated Astros in this postseason.
“Disappointing,” Verlander said. “I must perform better. No excuses.”
Alex Bregman’s double with one out gave Houston hope in the 10th inning. After Yuli Gurriel walked with two outs, David Robertson’s wild pitch moved the runners to second and third.
Robertson subsequently hit pinch-hitter Aledmys Daz with a 2-0 pitch, but plate umpire James Hoye determined that Daz had leaned into the pitch and hence was not permitted to advance to first base to load the bases. The game ended after Daz grounded out on a 3-1 pitch.
The last club to blow a 5-0 lead in the World Series was the 2002 San Francisco Giants, who failed to close out the Angels in Game 6 and win the championship under manager Dusty Baker. This time as manager of the Astros, Baker witnessed the same 6-5 final score.
The 106-win Astros hadn’t lost to anyone since Philadelphia defeated them on 3 October behind Aaron Nola to claim a wildcard position as the third-place team and earn their first trip to the playoffs in 11 years.
Tucker’s two home runs contributed significantly to the Astros’ quick start. However, the Phillies roared back as Verlander faltered once again in the World Series.
Perfect as he carried a 5-0 lead into the fourth inning, he left the game with the score tied at five after the fifth. In eight career World Series starts, he finished 0-6 with a 6.07 ERA, hardly the stats of a pitcher who is projected to win his third Cy Young Award soon.
The Astros dropped their first game of the postseason after sweeping the AL Division Series and AL Championship Series. They are now 0-5 in World Series openers.
Castellanos made another game-saving catch in the ninth inning of a playoff game, allowing Seranthony Dominguez to earn the victory.
With two outs and José Altuve on second base after a single and a stolen base, Pea hit a 68 mph ball that traveled approximately 200 feet. Castellanos went a great distance and then made a diving catch while lunging to end the inning.
In the NL Division Series opener against Atlanta, Castellanos drove in three runs and helped maintain the lead with a similar play in the ninth inning of a 7-6 victory.
In the World Series for the fourth time in six years – and after losing to Atlanta in six games last year – the Astros are seeking to deliver Baker his first title as a manager and win their second crown after winning in 2017 amid a sign-stealing scandal.
The Phillies are in the World Series for the first time since 2009, despite having won two titles. They rebounded from a 21-29 start that led to the termination of manager Joe Girardi with a 66-46 finish to qualify for the playoffs. Under Thomson, they won their ninth pennant by defeating the San Diego Padres in five games in the NLCS.
Tucker was the first player in team history to hit multiple home runs in a World Series game, causing the orange-clad home fans to erupt early. One of the few players in the major leagues to hit without batting gloves and suddenly oozing attitude, he had four RBIs a year after concluding the World Series without a single run batted in.
Tucker’s first home run was accompanied by a bat flip and an expletive as he screamed toward the dugout while beginning his jog.
Nola took a perfect game into the seventh inning in his last trip to Minute Maid Park, more than three weeks ago, when Philadelphia clinched its first playoff berth since 2011 and clinched the division title. Friday’s homecoming was not quite as easy as expected.
With no outs in the bottom of the second, Tucker sent a Nola off-speed fastball into the right field seats to give Houston a 1-0 lead. Gurriel, Chas McCormick, and Martn Maldonado all added singles to produce an additional run.
Pea, the ALCS Most Valuable Player, doubled to start the third inning for Houston before Yordan Alvarez grounded out. Initially, he was deemed safe, but after the Phillies protested the ruling, it was reversed.
Bregman, who was Nola’s roommate at LSU, walked before Tucker extended the lead to 5-0 by hitting a ball into the stands behind the bullpen in right-center.
In five innings, Verlander, who had the best ERA in the MLB during the regular season (1.75), allowed six hits and five runs. He joined Roger Clemens as the only pitcher in the history of major league baseball to make a World Series start in three distinct decades, but he was unable to capture that elusive World Series victory. Friday was his 12th career postseason series opener, tying him for the most in MLB history with Jon Lester.
Verlander, who started his third World Series opening, retired the first ten batters before Rhys Hoskins’s fourth-inning single with one out. Harper and Castellanos each singled to score a run, and Alec Bohm’s two-run double brought the deficit to 5-3.
Brandon Marsh began the fifth inning with a double, followed by a walk from Kyle Schwarber. Realmuto’s double off the wall in left-center tied the game at five runs apiece.
Within four and one-third innings, Nola allowed six hits and five runs.
