Final thoughts
Well, that was a crackerjack baseball game. That is not an adjective I have ever used to describe anything before but it feels appropriate for what was a one-run game for much of its duration. The Phillies kept coming right to the edge of taking the lead but the breaks kept benefiting the Astros.
It’s a rough result for a Phillies squad that looked like it had the series edge after their Game 3 triumph. However, getting no-hit in Game 4 and then missing so many chances in Game 5 might just be enough to leave them lost and looking for answers. What exactly does it take to beat this freaking Houston team four times in seven chances? Is it even possible?
The Phillies now have to win two straight games at Houston’s Minute Maid Park. It’s a very difficult ask for any team but maybe this Philadelphia team has the right mindset to tune out how deflating these last two games have turned out.
We’ll see, Game 6 will be on Saturday night. We’ll be covering it, and a potential Game 7, here at the Guardian, so please stick with us. This will be the end of today’s live coverage, however. Thanks to everybody who followed along, ciao!
Oh and Justin Verlander is no longer winless in the World Series. So, thankfully, that’s the end of that particular narrative.
The Houston Astros have a 3-2 lead over the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2022 World Series. They will have two chances to win their next championship when the series resumes in Minute Maid Park on Saturday.
Astros win! Astros 3-2 Phillies, FINAL
Astros 3-2 Phillies, FINAL
Castellanos takes a massive cut on Pressly’s first pitch and gets absolutely nothing. 0-1. He wanted to end this right there. He pops the next pitch into foul ground, but it’s just out of reach of the Astros fielders. He stays alive but he’s down to his final strike. 0-2. Castellanos takes a pitch outside. 1-2. “Seven Nation Army” returns on the organ and I’m not going to miss that when we head back to Minute Maid Park.
Castellanos lays off the next pitch. 2-2. The next pitch is outside. 3-2. Harper, the tying run, will be off on contact. A strike here would render that meaningless, however. He hits a bouncer to short and it’s a long throw but it catches him by plenty. The Astros have won Game 5 of the 2022 World Series.
Astros 3-2 Phillies, bottom 9th inning
Pressly throws what really looks like a strike to Harper, but the umpires call it a ball. 1-0. The next pitch is an indisputable ball. 2-0. Harper swings at what would be ball three and fouls it off. 2-1. The next pitch hits Harper! He’s on base and Nick Castellanos is up representing the winning run.
Astros 3-2 Phillies, bottom 9th inning
Realmuto fouls off the first pitch he sees in his likely final at-bat of the game. 0-1. He then takes a ball. 1-1. He then… his a massive flyball! For a second it looks like we’re tied. Then it looks like it’s at least going to be extra bases but McCormick makes a fantastic centerfield catch for out number two. It’s all down to Bryce Harper.
Astros 3-2 Phillies, bottom 9th inning
Pressly is back in. He did a great job at the end of the inning, although Marsh deserves at least an assist in helping him make sure that the Phillies didn’t score there. Pressly’s now facing Rhys Hoskins who fouls off his first offering for strike one. 0-1. He fouls the next pitch off. 0-2. He fouls the next pitch off. Still 0-2. Hoskins fouls the next one off, staying alive. Still 0-2. One has to imagine we’re seeing a ball outside the zone here.
And we do. Of course, that was something that Hoskins was also expecting. He lays off. 1-2. He can’t lay off on the next pitch, however. He strikes out swinging and the Astros are two outs away from victory.
Astros 3-2 Phillies, top 9th inning
Altuve is up for what seems like the 187th time today. He takes a ball outside. 1-0. He takes a strike looking. 1-1. He takes a ball on the corner. 2-1. He hasn’t swung yet in this at-bat! It’s been three whole pitches! Maybe he should have stuck with that plan, he grounds out into a double-play that sends us to the bottom of the ninth inning.
Can the Phillies pull off a comeback or will the Astros take a 3-2 World Series lead? We are about to find out!
Astros 3-2 Phillies, top 9th inning
Maldonado is up next, with a runner on first and one out. He hits a single, so that’s runners on first and second with one out.
Astros 3-2 Phillies, top 9th inning
Eflin, plagued by a bit of bad luck in allowing the first batter he faced reach, doesn’t seem too stressed about the circumstances. He gets McCormick to strike out swinging in four pitches for the first out of the inning.
Astros 3-2 Phillies, top 9th inning
That felt like the game right there, but we’ll see. Meanwhile, Zach Eflin has to keep the Astros off the board here and his day starts out poorly as Hensley outruns a groundball for an infield single.
I can’t get over how bad that Marsh at-bat was. Absolutely no situational awareness on his part.
Astros 3-2 Phillies, bottom 8th inning
Pressly’s not out of danger yet. Not with Schwarber representing the winning run. He fouls off the first pitch he sees. 0-1. He takes a pitch low. 1-1. He swings and misses! That’s a big one. 1-2. Pressly can escape this jam if he can finagle one more strike.
And he does! He flies out right to Mancini, who has replaced Gurriel at first base. It remains a one-run game heading into the ninth!
Astros 3-2 Phillies, bottom 8th inning
Ryan Pressly, the Astros closer, is up next. He will face Brandon Marsh whose number one goal here is to drive in Stott and his second goal has to be: just not ground into a double play with Castellanos at first base.
His first pitch? Marsh fouls it off. 0-1. “Seven Nation Army” on the organ once again. Marsh fouls off the next pitch. 0-2. This is a bad way to begin what might be the key at-bat of the entire series, Brandon.
Oof, he takes the same big swing at the next pitch and misses. He strikes out for out number two and now the Phillies can’t tie the game on an out.
Run scoring single! (Phillies) Astros 3-2 Phillies
Astros 3-2 Phillies, bottom 8th inning
One out, two on. Two-run deficit. Fans singing “Seven Nation Army.” It’s a tense situation, especially if you’re not a fan of that particular chant.
Segura seems to respond to it just fine, he hits a single to right field that scores Castellanos! It’s 3-2. Stott represents the tying run at third base! Dusty Baker goes to his pen!
Astros 3-1 Phillies, bottom 8th inning
Stott gets ahead of Montero 2-0. The Phillies wouldn’t mind an extra baserunner here. The next pitch is off the corner. 3-0. I’m going to assume he does not have the green-light in this situation. He does not, he instead takes ball four and he represents the tying run. The winning run, that will be represented by Jean Segura.
Astros 3-1 Phillies, bottom 8th inning
Montero gets ahead of Bohm 0-2 before throwing one way high to try to get him to chase. Not a bad strategy with Bohm, but it doesn’t work here. 1-2. It works the next time though, with a pitch just a little closer. Maybe that was the plan all along. Pitchers are crafty that way. The Phillies have five outs left.
Astros 3-1 Phillies, bottom 8th inning
Rafael Montero is out to try to prevent the Phillies from putting together another comeback after seeing what they did in Game 1. He falls behind Castellanos 2-0 but gets him to first swing at a strike and then take one. 2-2. Castellanos looks at a ball. 3-2. He fouls the next pitch off. Still 3-2. That one is inside and that’s a leadoff walk issued by Montero.
There is good sports news for Philadelphia. The Eagles are now 8-0 for the first time in franchise history after defeating the Texans 29-17.
Astros 3-1 Phillies, top 8th inning
Peña is on third after the long flyout. Trey Mancini at the plate, where he works a full count and while he does so, Bregman steals second. So, both runners are in scoring position but it doesn’t matter as Mancini swings and misses to end the inning. Still, the Astros have tacked on a run and time is running out for the Phillies to answer.
Astros 3-1 Phillies, top 8th inning
Tucker is up next, he fouls off the first ball he sees and then hits a ball into the outfield that Castellanos runs down, somewhat surprisingly considering his regular season defensive struggles. Two out. Trey Mancini is pinch-hitting for Gurriel, who got banged up during the rundown.
Astros 3-1 Phillies, top 8th inning
Robertson gets ahead of Bregman 1-2. Really key for the Phillies to keep this a two-run deficit. Bregman fouls the next pitch out of play into the stands. Robertson’s next pitch is also in the dirt. 2-2. As is the next. 3-2. The next pitch is borderline, but Robertson is not going to get the call there. It’s a walk to Bregman.
RBI (Astros) Astros 3-1 Phillies
Astros 3-1 Phillies, top 8th inning
Álvarez hits one foul and just out of play. 0-1. Robertson’s next pitch bounces and only a good effort from Realmuto keeps Altuve from scoring on that. 1-1. The next pitch is also outside. 1-1.
Then Álvarez hits a ground ball to first and that’s the only play to make. Álvarez scores, Peña makes it to second.
We have a pitching change! It’s the venerable Dave Robertson coming on with the Phillies in a massive pickle.
This isn’t quite a white flag but it will be a minor miracle if the Phillies are able to keep the Astros from scoring in yet another runner-on-third with no-outs situation.
Astros 2-1 Phillies, top 8th inning
Peña hits a base hit and Altuve, who was off on the pitch, makes third base easily. With that successful hit-and-run, the Astros have runners on the corners with nobody out.
Astros 2-1 Phillies, top 8th inning
Dominguez is out again to start the eighth inning, trying to keep this at a one-run deficit. Note: both teams have an off-day tomorrow for travel and the season will last, at most, two more games. We’re in “all hands on deck” territory.
Dominguez falls behind 0-3 on Altuve, who eventually walks on a 3-2 pitch.
Astros 2-1 Phillies, bottom 7th inning
Harper is here to try to salvage the seventh for Philadelphia. He fouls off Abreu’s first fastball. 0-1. On 0-1, he fouls off another. That one’s 100 mph, so the fact that other human beings can even connect on pitches like that will forever boggle my mind.
The next pitch? Slider outside. 1-2. Harper successfully checks his swing (or at least the umpires determine that he does) on the next ball. 2-2. Then, Harper pops up to end the inning. That was a 1-2-3 inning for Abreu and the Phillies have just six more outs to play with.
Astros 2-1 Phillies, bottom 7th inning
Abreu gets Realmuto to strike out swinging on three pitches. That feels like a first for the game.
Astros 2-1 Phillies, bottom 7th inning
Abreu is back out to at least start pitching in the bottom of the seventh. He’ll be facing Hoskins, who falls behind 1-2. This has been a strike-heavy game in general and both bullpens have been stellar.
Hoskins then fouls off a few pitches to stay alive. Also a lot of foul balls this game. That’s what happens when you have strike-throwing pitchers and patient, crafty hitters. Except Hoskins strikes out looking right as I type that.
Seventh Inning Stretch
That “Xanadu” guy used to be one heck of a dancer!
Astros 2-1 Phillies, top 7th inning
Dominquez is one out away from getting out of this inning without allowing a run to score, which would be impressive. He gets ahead of Maldonado 0-2. That’s a start. The next pitch is a ball and Maldonado can only foul away the next pitch.
On the fifth pitch of the at-bat, he grounds out to short and somehow this is still a 2-1 game.
Astros 2-1 Phillies, top 7th inning
Still, there’s a runner on third with less than two outs. This is going to be tricky for the Phillies.
Or maybe not. McCormick hits into a fielder’s choice and the Phillies are able to tag Gurriel out in the midst of a rundown. McCormick takes second on the play, but it’s now two outs in the inning.
Astros 2-1 Phillies, top 7th inning
And in a 1-2 count against Hensley, Dominquez uncorks a wild pitch that allows Gurriel to make it to third base. Luckily for the pitcher, he gets Hensley to ground out to shortstop and Gurriel just can’t score from third.
Astros 2-1 Phillies, top 7th inning
If the Phillies don’t pull off the comeback, that Schwarber at-bat might loom large. As it is, Seranthony Dominguez will be pitching for Philadelphia and Gurriel is scheduled to lead things off for the Astros.
Dominguez gets ahead of Gurriel 1-2 but Gurriel hits a flyball that just drops into the outfield for a leadoff double.
Astros 2-1 Phillies, bottom 6th inning
Kyle Schwarber is up with two runners on, but he grounds out to second on the second pitch he sees to end the inning. Justin Verlander exhales. To the seventh inning!
Astros 2-1 Phillies, bottom 6th inning
Bryan Abreu is up to face Brandon Marsh and immediately hits him with a pitch. Not what you want to see if you’re Houston.
Meanwhile in football, it’s the fourth quarter in Houston and the Eagles have a 27-17 lead over the Texans.
It’s a pretty safe bet that their game will be over well before ours.
Updated
Astros 2-1 Phillies, bottom 6th inning
Segura is up. One on, one out. He fouls off Neris’s first pitch. 0-1. Neris’s next pitch is quite outside. 1-1. Segura fouls off a pitch in the dirt. Probably should have held off on that swing. 1-2. On the next pitch, Neris gets him to strike out for the inning’s second out.
And that will do it for Neris, here’s Houston manager Dusty Baker out to relieve the reliever.
Astros 2-1 Phillies, bottom 6th inning
Can Stott get hot? He takes a first-pitch ball and then flies out to Tucker in the outfield after a bit of miscommunication. That’s the first out of the inning.
Updated
Astros 2-1 Phillies, bottom 6th inning
Hector Neris is up for the Astros, meaning at the very least Verlander won’t get tagged with a loss here. He gets ahead of Bohm 1-2. Bohm takes a pitch high. At 2-2, he hits a leadoff single. That’s just what the Phillies need here, down just a single run.
I want to thank this Chevy ad featuring the Fleetwood Mac song “Everywhere” for cheering me up every few innings.
If you were wondering why that last inning took so long, there was apparently a fan who ran on the field and I missed it because they never show them during the TV broadcast proper.
I didn’t even notice because, let’s be real, sometimes baseball games are just slow for no reason whatsoever.
Astros 2-1 Phillies, top 6th inning
Tucker is up with two on and two out. This would be a golden opportunity for Houston to get some separation. Tucker tries to check his swing at a ball but ends up accidentally tapping it foul. 0-1. He takes a ball and then fouls off another pitch. 1-2. With his next swing, he grounds out to first to end the inning. The Astros threaten but don’t score.
Astros 2-1 Phillies, top 6th inning
Bregman gets the bad news from the first base umpire on a failed check swing for strike one. He then properly takes ball two. 1-1. The next pitch nearly hits Bregman and Altuve takes second.
No wait, replay shows that it totally hit him, so he’ll take his base while Altuve stays at second.
Astros 2-1 Phillies, top 6th inning
Álvarez is up next. He takes a strike and then flies out to short. That’s two down with Bregman left to try to keep the inning going for Houston.
Astros 2-1 Phillies, top 6th inning
Peña is back out there and that’s been bad news for Philadelphia all game long so far. Alvarado gets ahead of him 1-2 here, which the hometown fans appreciate. They liked his swing and a miss in that count even better. One away.
Astros 2-1 Phillies, top 6th inning
Jose Alvarado is our new Phillies pitcher and he’s facing another J.A. in Jose Altuve. Altuve, as is his wont, swings at the first pitch he sees. And the second. In both cases, he doesn’t connect. He’s in an 0-2 count, which honestly suits him just fine. Altuve takes the first ball of the at-bat. 1-2. He fouls off the next two pitches. Still 1-2. The next pitch is low. 2-2.
Altuve hits a grounder to second and just beats it out for an infield single!
Astros 2-1 Phillies, bottom 5th inning
Can Castellanos tie things up? Verlander is treating him cautiously here, it feels. He starts off with a slider outside that Castellanos lays off. The next pitch is similarly a ball. On 2-0, Castellanos swings for the fences and misses. He fouls the next pitch off. 2-2. He fouls the next pitch off. 2-2. He fouls the next pitch off. 2-2.
He hits another foul ball, just missing hitting a game-tying double. 2-2. Verlander’s at 91 pitches and this is the first time since the first inning that it’s felt like he’s been in deep trouble. Certainly, this couldn’t happen with him just one out away from making it through five innings right? Right?
Verlander’s next pitch is a ball. 3-2. Castellanos fouls the next pitch off and then, finally, flies out to end the inning. Verlander is indeed in line for his first World Series win but there are four more innings left in the game and a lot can happen with that many outs in play.
Astros 2-1 Phillies, bottom 5th inning
Harper is up next. Verlander throws three straight four-seamers to put Harper in a 1-2 hole. Of course, Harper is dangerous in any count. Harper checks his swing on the next pitch. 2-2. On his next pitch, he smacks the ball into right field for a double. Verlander’s not out of the inning yet.
Astros 2-1 Phillies, bottom 5th inning
Realmuto takes a first pitch strike and then waves and misses on the next pitch. 0-2. Verlander’s next pitch is a ball that’s meant to catch him fishing, which he does not do. 1-2. Realmuto fouls off the fourth pitch of the at-bat. Still 1-2. Verlander throws some high heat, 97 mph according to the radar gun, but Realmuto doesn’t chase.
But he chases the next one. That’s the sixth strikeout. Has Verlander gotten stronger as the game has gone on?
Astros 2-1 Phillies, bottom 5th inning
Verlander is back out in the fifth, as expected. Hoskins is up for Philly. He strikes out looking for Verlander’s fifth k of the game.
Meanwhile in Houston, the Eagles’ unbeaten record is potentially in danger. The Eagles and Texans are tied 14-14 at the half.
Astros 2-1 Phillies, top 5th inning
Maldonado takes a ball, fouls of a pitch, swings and misses and then swings and misses again. That was quick! To the bottom of the fifth! We’re halfway through regulation in Philadelphia, but let’s remember that there’s always the chance of extra innings.
Astros 2-1 Phillies, top 5th inning
McCormick is out before I can even look up from my computer to see that he’s at-bat. Play-by-play indicates that he has grounded out to third. Next up, Martin Maldonado.
Astros 2-1 Phillies, top 5th inning
Brogdon is back out there for his second inning of work. Hensley fouls off the first two pitches he sees from the Phillies reliever. The rail-thin Brogdon throws a changeup outside and then gets Hensley to bite on a changeup in the zone for a strikeout.
Updated
Astros 2-1 Phillies, bottom 4th inning
It needs to be noted that Kyle Schwarber’s walk-up song is “Cult Of Personality” by Living Colour and that is 100% one of the reasons he’s been one of the most dangerous bats in baseball this year. Verlander gets ahead of him 1-2 but Schwarber sharply takes a ball just outside. 2-2.
And Verlander locates a curve and Schwarber knows that he’s been beaten on that one. A 1-2-3 inning for Verlander who just needs one more clean inning to be in line for his first World Series win.
Astros 2-1 Phillies, bottom 4th inning
Brandon Marsh and his extremely Alan Moore-esque beard are up next. He takes a strike and then a ball. 1-1. He takes a mighty cut. Nothing doing. 1-2. Verlander paints the corner with a 97 mph and that’s a strikeout and the second out of the inning.
Astros 2-1 Phillies, bottom 4th inning
Verlander is up again on the fourth and he’s now officially in line for a possible World Series win. Is today the day? He gets Segura to ground out to short. That won’t hurt his cause.
Email from Fred Miller:
Thank you!
I live in the mountains of Montana without tv or radio, nice to follow the game online.
I’m a long time Astros fan.
Thanks for reading. I imagine that the last inning has been the most enjoyable one to read about so far.
Astros 2-1 Phillies, top 4th inning
Gurriel is up next to see if he can extend the inning, but he falls behind 1-2. Phillies fans rise and this time they do actually get Brogdon to strike Gurriel out. The inning’s over, but Houston has the lead.
Astros 2-1 Phillies, top 4th inning
In an 0-1 count, Tucker hits a long foul home run off of Brogdon who clearly is having some issues here. Thankfully for him, it counts just as strike one.
Tucker then looks at strike two. 1-2. Tucker takes a pitch. 2-2. Tucker lunges for the next pitch and can’t reach it. He strikes out, so the Phillies are an out away from escaping the inning without further damage.
Astros 2-1 Phillies, top 4th inning
Alex Bregman hits a ringing double that just barely misses being a home run thanks to the Citizens Bank Park fences in left. So, still just one out and a runner on second now.
Astros 2-1 Phillies, top 4th inning
Connor Brogdon is out now. He gets Álvarez in a 0-2 hole. Hope this goes better than the last time. Brogdon’s next two pitches are outside but Álvarez tries to connect on a high ball and fails. That’s one out in the inning.
Maybe the Phillies shouldn’t have brought Syndergaard out to start the fourth. Well his outing is now officially over and he was just one pitch away from giving the Phillies everything they could have hoped from him. They needed just one more strike. Now, the Phillies have to work from behind once again.
Home run! (Astros) Astros 2-1 Phillies
Astros 2-1 Phillies, top 4th inning
Top of the fourth, we have Peña up to face Syndergaard, in what definitely will be his last inning. Syndergaard gets ahead of the Houston shortstop 0-2. Peña fouls the next pitch off. Still 0-2. The next pitch is outside. 1-2. The next pitch is a sinker that is too low. Syndergaard’s next pitch is… out of here! Peña has given the Astros the lead with a home run!
Wondering if the Philadelphia Eagles will remain undefeated and do not have access to the game. (It’s on Amazon Prime after all.) Right now the score is tied: Eagles 7-7 Texans. So, it’s basically the same situation as here in World Series Game 5. Plenty of tension in Philly right now.
Astros 1-1 Phillies, bottom 3rd inning
Let’s see what Bryson Stott has got. Nothing, it turns out. He flies out on the first pitch he sees.
Astros 1-1 Phillies, bottom 3rd inning
Alec Bohm is up now with two out and Harper planted at first base. Bohm takes a ball and then swings and misses at a slider. 1-1. Bohm hits a solid single and now it’s runners on first and second.
Astros 1-1 Phillies, bottom 3rd inning
Castellanos is back up and he flies out right to Peña who makes a web gem for the out.
Astros 1-1 Phillies, bottom 3rd inning
Harper is up and, thanks to a favorable check-swing call, he gets ahead of the count 2-1. He fouls the next pitch off. 2-2. He takes a close pitch. 3-2. A good at-bat here. He takes ball four and takes his base.
Astros 1-1 Phillies, bottom 3rd inning
Realmuto is up, he takes a strike and then a ball. 1-1. One foul ball later, it’s 1-2. He holds off on the next pitch. 2-2. And he swings and misses. That’s Verlander’s second strikeout of the game.
Is this a tribute montage to the Phanatic? Honestly, overdue.
Astros 1-1 Phillies, top 3rd inning
Maybe Syndergaard could come out in the fourth inning if he can make quick work of Altuve.
Altuve takes a first-pitch ball. 1-0. The next pitch? Altuve takes a strike. 1-1. The next pitch, Altuve is hacking and he hacks this one foul. 2-2. On the next pitch, he hits a chopper to the infield that the Phillies handle smoothly for the third out of the inning.
Astros 1-1 Phillies, top 3rd inning
Martin Maldonado is up next, he flies out on a 2-2 offering.
Astros 1-1 Phillies, top 3rd inning
Chas McCormick lines out for the first out of the third inning, most likely Syndergaard’s last.
Yes, I might have just watched the commercial for the new Spielberg movie with rapt attention looking for any hint of the rumored David Lynch cameo but I promise you that I’m not distracted here.
Astros 1-1 Phillies, bottom 2nd inning
With bases loaded and two out, Rhys Hoskins is heading to the plate with an opportunity to make major damage. He’s maybe a little too eager as he takes a big swing at a pitch that seems outside for strike one. 0-1. He fouls off the next pitch. 0-2. Verlander has a good chance of escaping his self-created jam. He throws a ball outside. Hoskins doesn’t offer. 1-2. The next pitch gets away from Verlander. 2-2. On the next pitch, Hoskins extends himself and that’s exactly what Verlander wanted him to do. He strikes out and that’s the end of the Philadelphia threat.
Astros 1-1 Phillies, bottom 2nd inning
Verlander throws a beauty of a curve for strike one on Schwarber. 0-1. The next curveball is just outside. 1-1. The next pitch is way, way upstairs. 2-1. The next pitch is much closer to the zone, but still gets called a ball. 3-1. Another breaking ball, far away, and the bases are now loaded.
Astros 1-1 Phillies, bottom 2nd inning
Verlander throws two balls to Brandon Marsh. This already is the most patient at-bat of the inning. On 2-0, Marsh fouls a ball off. 2-1. The next pitch? That’s too high. 3-1. The next pitch is… also a ball. That’s now two baserunners for Kyle Schwarber.
Astros 1-1 Phillies, bottom 2nd inning
Jean Segura immediately hits a single. Verlander is getting quick results here if nothing else.
Astros 1-1 Phillies, bottom 2nd inning
Verlander faces Alex Bohm who pops up to third immediately. And then Bryson Stott pops up to short.
Astros 1-1 Phillies, top 2nd inning
David Hensley is up next, taking a pitch for a strike. And then swinging and missing at the next pitch. That’s a real quick 0-2 count there and the fans rise up to will a strikeout. Hensley swings and fouls off Syndergaard’s next pitch to stay alive. Still 0-2. Hensley takes a ball outside. 1-2. Hensley fouls off another pitch. Still 1-2. On the next pitch however, the pitcher once called Thor gets his fourth strikeout in two innings.
Astros 1-1 Phillies, top 2nd inning
Yuli Gurriel is up and then he’s down as he pops up to Realmuto at catcher.
Astros 1-1 Phillies, top 2nd inning
Kyle Tucker, whose mammoth Game 1 performance came for naught, is up next. Syndergaard’s first pitch is a changeup that Tucker fouls off. 0-1. The next pitch is a ball. 1-1. As is the next pitch. 2-1. Syndergaard gets a strike. 2-2. Tucker tries to check his swing on the next pitch but can’t and gets himself out.
Astros 1-1 Phillies, bottom 1st inning
Nick Castellanos is up next and he falls behind 0-2 and then flies out for the final out. A lot happened in this first inning, but we’re tied 1-1. This might be a back-and-forth type of affair.
Astros 1-1 Phillies, bottom 1st inning
And Verlander now faces Harper, who gets some “MVP” chants from the Philly Phaithful. Bryce fouls his first pitch off and then sees a fastball that’s called a ball. The next pitch he sees is called similarly. 2-1. The next pitch is too tall. 3-1. Imagine that Harper has the green light here.
Instead, he takes a strike looking. Full count. On 3-2, Harper takes a ball for the first walk of the game.
Astros 1-1 Phillies, bottom 1st inning
J.T. Realmuto is out and promptly falls behind 0-2. After taking a ball, Realmuto skies one up to Altuve on the infield for the second out of the inning.
Astros 1-1 Phillies, bottom 1st inning
Ryan Hoskins is up now. He gets good wood at a 1-2 pitch but it’s caught by the Astros in left field.
Home run! (Phillies) Astros 1-1 Phillies
Astros 1-1 Phillies, bottom 1st inning
Justin Verlander is back out there and while he’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer no matter what, it would be nice for him to have a World Series win in his achievement column.
Well this certainly won’t help. Kyle Schwarber takes the second pitch he sees from him and deposits it into right field for a game-tying home run.
Astros 1-0 Phillies, top 1st inning
And Syndergaard gets Alex Bregman to strike out on three pitches. That could have been a lot worse for the Phillies, instead they allow the leadoff semi-triple to score but then immediately shut the Astros down.
Astros 1-0 Phillies, top 1st inning
Still nobody out, with a runner on first. Here comes Yordan Álvarez. Álvarez works a full count. On 3-2, he fouls a pitch off and then throws to first to keep Peña honest. On the next pitch, he manages to get a strike out and then throw out Peña. So now there are two out and nobody on.
RBI Single (Astros) Astros 1-0 Phillies
Astros 1-0 Phillies, top 1st inning
And Peña immediately singles in Altuve. The good-ish news? It’s an unearned run, because Altuve was credited for a double with an error on Marsh.
Astros 0-0 Phillies, top 1st inning
And Altuve hits the next pitch he sees for a leadoff triple. Philadelphia is in danger already.
First pitch
Astros 0-0 Phillies, top 1st inning
Noah Syndergaard is out but it might be a short outing for him as this could be more of a bullpen game. Jose Altuve, per usual, is leading off. Syndergaard’s first pitch is just outside…
Oh wow, the Phillies brought in Meek Mill to hype up the crowd. He joins up with the Phillie Phanatic on a quick zip around the ballpark on his cart. Can I switch my prediction?
Nah, it’s too late.
Okay, first pitch is scheduled within minutes. Game 5 proper is about to begin.
I mean, there probably was a more original way to indicate that the game is taking place in Philadelphia than playing the “Theme From Rocky,” but sometimes the classics are best.
If Justin Verlander never wins a game in the World Series will this impact his legacy in any serious way as FOX commentators desperately want you to believe?
No.
Philadelphia Phillies starting lineup
1. Kyle Schwarber, LF
2. Rhys Hoskins, 1B
3. J.T. Realmuto, C
4. Bryce Harper, DH
5. Nick Castellanos, RF
6. Alec Bohm, 3B
7. Bryson Stott, SS
8. Jean Segura, 2B
9. Brandon Marsh, CF
Pitcher: Noah Syndergaard
Houston Astros starting lineup
1. Jose Altuve, 2B
2. Jeremy Peña, SS
3. Yordan Álvarez, LF
4. Alex Bregman, 3B
5. Kyle Tucker, RF
6. Yuli Gurriel, 1B
7. David Hensley, DH
8. Chas McCormick, CF
9. Martín Maldonado, C
Pitcher: Justin Verlander
Also, in the NFL we have a related story. The unbeaten Philadelphia Eagles are looking to keep up their perfect record and they are facing—of all teams—the Houston Texans. That means this could either be one of the greatest sports days in Philadelphia history or potentially one of the most catastrophic!
Predictions
I was going to have the Phillies rebounding after being no-hit and taking a series lead over the Astros. Obviously, at this point, my original “Houston in 5” prediction is not possible barring various time travel shenanigans so there’s no reason to try to salvage it.
However, the Phillies have decided to change their fortunes by switching up and wearing garish powder blue uniforms so I feel like they should lose tonight on principle: throwback uniforms should be thrown back. Astros 6-1 Phillies.
Important message from the @Phillies: pic.twitter.com/wIDHcvHpJk
— SI MLB (@si_mlb) November 3, 2022
I will predict that this is going to reach a Game 7 and the Phillies will manage to win tomorrow but we’ll talk about that on Saturday. Today is all about Game 5 predictions. Who takes the crucial 3-2 World Series lead? How does it happen? Feel free to send your thoughts and analysis here, either via email (to hunter.felt.freelance@theguardian.com) or Twitter (to @HunterFelt).
How did the Phillies find themselves no-hit? While I’m not one to believe in curses but if Philadelphia doesn’t manage another win in this series, I think we’re going to have to put the blame on Wawa and the Curse of the Uneaten Sandwiches
Each time they get a hit, take a bite of your hoagie! #Schwarberfest
— Wawa (@Wawa) November 2, 2022
How did we get here?
Since we’re now five games deep into the World Series, today’s coverage might benefit from a quick recap. Also, you can double-check and relive our previous liveblogs, in case you want the full play-by-play.
Game 1. Phillies 6-5 Astros. In Game 1, the Phillies stunned the Astros by recovering from a 5-0 deficit to hand Houston its first defeat in the playoffs.
Game 2. Phillies 2-5 Astros. In Game 2, the Phillies couldn’t rally back from a 5-0 deficit, which is usually how that plays out. With the win, the Astros tied up the series 1-1.
Game 3: Astros 0-7 Phillies. In Game 3, the series moved from Minute Maid Park to Citizens Bank Park, which ended up working out in favor of the Phillies who played home run derby to take a 2-1 series lead.
Game 4. Astros 5-0 Phillies. It looked like Philadelphia had Houston on the ropes, but the Astros simply decided to not allow the Phillies to get a single hit. Now the series is tied 2-2 and, given the way these first four games have played out, it’s really hard to get any sense of what could possibly happen next.
Where to watch Game 2 of the World Series
Just so that we’re on the same page heading in, here’s how to watch Game 5 of the 2022 World Series.
In the US, it’s airing live on FOX. If you don’t mind baseball on the radio, or prefer it to the FOX commentators, you could also listen on your local ESPN Radio affiliate or, barring that, ESPNradio.com. In the UK, you can screen it on BT Sports starting in roughly 40 minutes or so and online through the BT Sports app.
Preamble
This will not be a short series. In the big picture of things, that’s the most obvious takeaway from yesterday’s Game 4. The Phillies, unbeaten at home, had just pounded the Houston Astros 7-0 and taken a 2-1 series lead, threatening to make this a rather short-lived World Series. Momentum was on their side, but the Astros pitching staff was decidedly against them.
Instead, Cristian Javier and relievers Bryan Abreu, Rafael Montero and Ryan Pressly combined to pitch the second no-hitter in World Series history even if it might have felt a bit anticlimactic to some. The combined no-hitter simply doesn’t have the same mythology of the idea of a lone pitcher shutting down an entire team by himself.
One doubts that the Astros are losing that much sleep on how their way of winning the game may have been unsatisfying for old-school baseball fans. What matters to them is that they have tied the series up 2-2 and are guaranteed to at least bring the World Series back to Minute Maid Park at the bare minimum.
Now, it’s time for the Phillies to respond. Will their bats wake up after being put to sleep in Game 4? Will their starter Noah Syndergaard keep the Astros off the board? Or will Houston starter Justin Verlander finally win the first World Series game of his Hall of Fame career?
Baseball history could turn on the answer to these questions, which sounds a bit overdramatic but is just a mathematical reality. The loser of tonight’s game will have to win their next two if they want to win a championship, while the winner will need one victory. It feels like the World Series could effectively be decided tonight.
As always, if you want to contribute to our liveblog, we encourage it. You can email us at hunter.felt.freelance@theguardian.com or tweet us at @HunterFelt and we’ll post your World Series thoughts here for all to see. It’s Game 5 of the 2022 World Series between the Houston Astros and the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. In theory, we’ll start at 8:03 pm EST but we’ll be back blogging well before that.
Updated
Hunter will be here shortly. In the meantime here’s a look back at Houston’s series-tying, history-making win in Game 4.
