Joshua Linnehan
It’s sad to say that the 2022 MLB season is officially over, but at least it ended on a great note with a World Series battle between the Houston Astros and the Philadelphia Phillies. The Astros won this series in six games, and it’s their second championship in the last six seasons. As for the Phillies, this was an incredible Cinderella run for a team that was the last seed in the National League, but it wasn’t enough to beat this dominant Houston team. The Astros lost just two games in this entire postseason run (both in the World Series), and after discovering that they cheated during their 2017 run, Astros fans are ecstasy their franchise has a legit ring. Let’s recap how this series unfolded.
Game 1 was an instant WS classic, as the Phillies made an incredible five run comeback to win in Houston. Kyle Tucker started this series strong for the Astros, as he hit two home runs and had four RBIs in the first three innings of the game. However, their ace Justin Verlander would once again choke in a World Series start, as he entered this game with a 5.68 ERA in his previous seven WS starts. Philly got all five runs back off Verlander in the fourth and fifth innings to tie the game. Philly outfielder Nick Castellanos had a game-saving sliding catch to force extra innings, and J.T. Realmuto hit the game-winning home run in the 10th to complete the comeback and secure a 6-5 win for the Phillies. The Astros responded quickly in Game 2 though, scoring three runs in the first inning, and Alex Bregman added a two-run homer in the fifth to give Houston another 5-0 lead. The Stros didn’t give this lead away, as starter Framber Valdez pitched a gem, allowing just one run and striking out nine through 6.1 innings. Game 3 was the first home game for the Phillies, and they looked to continue their success at home, as they were 5-0 in Citizens Bank Park entering this series. Well, they didn’t miss a beat; as they hit five home runs off Astros starter Lance McCullers Jr. and won 7-0. Bryce Harper, Alec Bohm, Brandon Marsh, Kyle Schwarber, and Rhys Hoskins all went deep, and Philly took back the series lead.
The turning point in this series was Game 4, as the Astros would make history. For just the second time in MLB Postseason history, we had a no-hitter. Starter Christian Javier tossed six hitless innings, and relievers Bryan Abreu, Rafael Montero, and Ryan Pressly, combined to finish the job. Going from a five home run performance to no hits in the next game definitely affected the Phillies high powered offense for the rest of the series. In Game 5, World Series MVP Jeremy Pena came through for Houston with an RBI single and a home run, and Verlander also finally delivered with five quality innings. The biggest highlight from this game was an amazing catch by Houston outfielder Chas McCromick in the ninth inning to help the Astros win 3-2, and take their first series lead. Now one win away from a World Series championship, the Astros were back in Houston. Game 6 was a pitching duel until Schwarber got the scoring started with a home run. But in the next half-inning, Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez had the biggest swing of his life, as he hit a mammoth go-ahead three run home run to give Houston the lead. They wouldn’t look back after that, as Valdez had yet another remarkable start, and the Astros bullpen once again locked it down to secure the victory.
