HOUSTON — Of all the Phillies victories in this improbable postseason run, Friday’s might have been the unlikeliest.
Buried in an early five-run hole against presumptive AL Cy Young award winner Justin Verlander, in the hostile confines of Minute Maid Park, the Phillies scrapped. And then thunder struck in top of the 10th inning.
J.T. Realmuto’s shot to right field off Luis Garcia carried just beyond Kyle Tucker’s outstretched glove, for a home run that sent the Phillies to a 6-5 victory, 10-inning victory over the Astros in Game 1 of the World Series.
The Astros, playing in their fourth Fall Classic in the last six seasons, still haven’t won a Game 1 of the World Series. The loss was their first in eight games this postseason.
The Phillies, who entered the playoffs as the No. 6 seed, have knocked off the Cardinals, Braves and Padres this postseason, and now stand within three victories of the franchise’s first World Series title since 2008. The Game 1 victory was the Phillies’ fourth straight in the opener of a series this postseason, all on the road.
“For me it’s so cool to see the way this team is playing,” Realmuto said. “It’s been a different hero every single night. It’s been that way all postseason long.”
David Robertson got the final three outs to complete a huge bullpen performance for the Phillies, who received 5²/₃ scoreless innings in relief behind Aaron Nola. All told, the Astros went the final seven innings without scoring. Robertson put runners on second and third in the 10th, but retired pinch-hitter Aledmys Diaz to end it.
“We definitely needed to pick up a game down here because when we get back in front of the Philly faithful we’re in good shape,” Robertson said. “The fans are electric there and that atmosphere is what we have been waiting on all year. Picking up one on the road to get back and have a chance to close it out is exactly what we’re trying to do.”
The Astros nearly won it in the ninth, but Nick Castellanos’ sliding catch on Jeremy Peña’s bloop prevented Jose Altuve from scoring the winning run. Altuve’s bloop single to center off Seranthony Dominguez and steal of second with two outs had put the pressure on the Phillies.
“Moments like that on defense you’re pretty locked in,” Castellanos said. “So I felt like I read the swing pretty well and as soon as I saw the direction of the ball I felt like I got a good jump on it.”
Verlander was gifted a five-run lead in the third inning but couldn’t hold it. The Astros ace departed after five innings with it tied 5-5; he allowed five earned runs on six hits with five strikeouts and two walks. The future Hall of Famer owns a 6.07 ERA in eight World Series starts. His teams, Detroit and Houston, have won just once in those starts, while Verlander is 0-6 with two no-decisions, including Friday.
“I felt like I had some guys in good situations and just wasn’t able to quite make the pitches that I wanted to,” Verlander said.
The Astros received most of their offense from Tucker, who homered twice and drove in four runs. Realmuto finished with three RBIs in leading the Phillies’ offensive attack.
Tucker homered leading off the second for the game’s first run. The Astros kept going in the inning, with three singles against Nola, the last of which, by Martin Maldonado, brought in a run. But before it could get too messy, Altuve hit into an inning-ending double play.
Tucker’s second blast of the night extended the Astros’ lead to 5-0. Peña — the ALCS MVP against the Yankees — continued his strong October with a leadoff double. Alex Bregman walked after Yordan Alvarez’s infield single was overturned into an out, and Tucker crushed a 95-mph fastball to become the first Astros player in franchise history with a multi-homer game in the World Series.
Verlander retired the first 10 batters he faced before the Phillies rallied against him in the fourth. Rhys Hoskins, Bryce Harper and Castellanos all singled — the last of those brought in a run — before Alec Bohm’s two-run double sliced the Astros’ lead to 5-3.
The Phillies returned to sea level in the fifth on Realmuto’s two-run double. Brandon Marsh doubled just inside third base to start the rally and Kyle Schwarber walked before Realmuto delivered a smash off the left-field fence that tied it 5-5.
“When we get down we feel we are going to come back,” Bohm said. “It’s what we do.”
Nola lasted 4¹/₃ innings and allowed five earned runs on six hits with five strikeouts and two walks. It was a second straight subpar outing for the right-hander, who surrendered six earned runs over 4²/₃ innings in Game 2 of the NLCS against the Padres.
Hector Neris entered with the bases loaded and two outs in the seventh to strike out Castellanos. The Astros received 1²/₃ innings of scoreless relief from Bryan Abreu, who allowed an infield single to Schwarber in the seventh before walking Realmuto and Harper to load the bases.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson didn’t hold back in his bullpen usage, deploying lefty Ranger Suarez (his possible Game 3 or 4 starter) to get the final out in the seventh and one in the eighth.
Rhys Hoskins said the Phillies are tired of the underdog narrative that has surrounded the team.
“I’m not saying anybody is taking us lightly, but we have the ability to beat anybody on any given day,” he said.
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