HOUSTON — This was the year baseball finally told the pitchers to throw away their bats for good. The designated hitter, beloved by some and reviled by others, would be the law of the land in all the major league lands.
Fans delight in second-guessing the manager, and now much of that simple pleasure would be gone. No more arguing whether the manager should have batted for the pitcher. No more debating the double switch.
In this year of diminished strategy, Game 1 of the World Series blessed us thrice: one, with an unexpected and entertaining festival of second-guessing; two, with the tension of extra innings; and, three, with the destruction of the notion that the Houston Astros are inevitable and invincible.
“How long did we have the lead in the game, 15 minutes?” Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos told Fox TV. “Sometimes that’s all you need.”
The Astros will not go undefeated this postseason. They will not sweep this World Series. They might not even win it.
J.T. Realmuto watched his fly ball carry over the right-field fence, then punched his arm at the sky — er, the stadium roof — as he skipped around the bases. That home run, amid four and a half taut hours of play, powered the Philadelphia Phillies to a 6-5 victory in 10 innings.
“Best catcher in baseball,” said Phillies star Bryce Harper, who wore a T-shirt commemorating Mike Schmidt, a Phillies World Series MVP in 1980.
No catcher had hit a World Series home run in extra innings since Carlton Fisk willed and waved his walk-off homer inside the foul pole in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series.
The Phillies won 87 games, yes. They are a third-place team playing in the World Series, sure.
But Zack Wheeler, who started the National League Championship Series clincher, starts Game 2 here Saturday. The series then shifts to Philadelphia, where the Phillies are undefeated this postseason. A title is not just wishful thinking.
The game might not have advanced into extra innings without a sprawling dive from Castellanos, whom the Phillies signed as a designated hitter. Without the new rule, Castellanos might not be on the Phillies. With an injury that prevents Bryce Harper from playing in the field, Harper was the DH and Castellanos was in right field.
With two out in the ninth, and Jose Altuve off and running from second base, Castellanos charged in to make a dramatic if not aesthetic catch of a pop fly hit by Jeremy Peña. That sent the game into extra innings.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson managed the first nine innings with intention. Thomson made abundantly clear he had no desire to see Yordan Alvarez, the Astros’ slugger, face a right-handed relief pitcher. It was as close as you could get to “don’t let Alvarez beat you” as you could get without intentionally walking him.
In the fifth inning, with no one on base and the score tied, Thomson summoned one of his relief aces, left-hander Jose Alvarado, to face Alvarez. Alvarado induced a pop fly.
In the seventh, with no one on base and the score tied, Thomson summoned one of his starters, left-hander Ranger Suarez, to face Alvarez. Suarez struck out Alvarez.
The Houston Astros celebrate with the American League Championship trophy after defeating the New York Yankees in Game 4
Astros manager Dusty Baker showed no such urgency, letting starter Justin Verlander face Bryce Harper with the go-ahead run in scoring position in the fifth inning — and all that after Verlander had given back all of a 5-0 lead within 11 batters. Harper grounded out.
Verlander could win his third Cy Young Award next month. He has finished among the top five in voting more often than not — nine times, in 16 full seasons. As of Friday, he has started World Series games in three decades.
He has yet to win one.
He has started Game 1 of the World Series three times. He has yet to record an out in the sixth inning.
The first time, in 2006, probable Hall of Famers Albert Pujols and Scott Rolen each homered off him.
The second time, in 2012, the Kung Fu Panda (Pablo Sandoval) homered twice off him.
The third time was not the charm. For the Astros, it had to be alarming.
In the first three innings, the Astros amassed a 5-0 lead, punctuated by two home runs from outfielder Kyle Tucker. In the next two innings, the Phillies roared back to tie the score.
That would be all for Verlander, one of the elite pitchers of his generation. His career World Series record: 0-6, with a 6.07 ERA. His career Game 1 record: 0-2, with a 10.29 ERA.
In his three starts this postseason, he has a 7.20 ERA. He has made two poor starts and one good start. Imagine saying this before Friday: Verlander could get another start, if the Phillies can force a Game 5.
