Rookie breaks Phillies hearts in a thriller. Astros a game away from World Series glory
Houston Astros 3 Philadelphia Phillies 2, 3rd November 2022.
Houston Astros 3 Philadelphia Phillies 2, 3rd November 2022.
It was just after 4am UK time when Houston Astros closing pitcher Ryan Pressly did what Ryan Pressly always seemingly does, and with such reassuring and consummate ease if you’re a fan of the boys in orange and blue. Entering Game 5 in the middle of the Phillies 8th inning and with runners on base, it was the usual high pressure situation for a “closer” and rather than needing just 3 outs to secure a precious victory for his team and one step nearer the ultimate prize of the World Series, Pressly was introduced earlier than is customary, and needing 5 outs amid the deafening din of over 46,000 natives inside Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park.
Considering the incredible and thrilling game that came before this climatic sporting moment, it was unsurprising that Pressly entered the Philadelphian lions den against the odds. For the Phillies knocked on the Astros door all evening with 11 baserunners and/or runners in scoring in position and even though they eventually “plated” a run in the 8th inning (Nick Castellanos worked a walk before being batted in by a slugged single from Jean Segura), an incredible play at 1st base by defensive replacement Trey Mancini after a howitzer from Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber killed the rally with the score at 3–2 in favour of the visiting Astros from Houston.
If that incredible play wasn’t enough, more was to follow at the bottom of the 9th inning. Now needing 3 outs for victory, first Pressly blew away a struggling Rhys Hoskins by way of a strike out before the play of the game killed any last hopes of a home team rally and perhaps the final hopes of World Series glory for the underdog Philadelphia Phillies. Catcher JT Realmuto crunched a huge hit to straight away centre field that appeared certain to give the Phillies gloveman a double, maybe even a triple but certainly in scoring position with only 1 out and, with Phillies talisman Bryce Harper up next, the Phillies would be in position to “walk off” a vital win and take a 3–2 advantage back to Houston and be in pole position to win it all.
Instead, Philadelphian native Chas McCormick retreated to the warning track and leapt against the wire meshing protecting the huge scoreboard at centre field and grasped a spectacular catch to deny the Phillies yet again on a night where Astros defensive plays would be as important as any home run slugged into a disbelieving and raucous crowd. There was still game ending drama to be played out as Pressly hit Bryce Harper and advancing him to 1st base but Nick Castellanos tamely grounded out to rookie shortstop and player of the game Jeremy Pena, the rally was over, and the Astros return to Houston needing one further win for yet another piece of World Series winning history.
If the Houston Astros relied upon the dependability of their veteran closer Ryan Pressly, they also did so with their veteran starting pitcher Justin Verlander. The Virginia born 39 year old would concede just 1 run, a crushing “no doubter” from the bat of Kyle Schwarber in the Phillies 1st inning, and whilst he constantly had to battle with the baseball “traffic” of runners on base or in scoring position (he gave up 4 walks and 4 hits), Schwarber’s huge home run was the only run to score.
Against this came the individual performance of the Astros rookie shortstop Jeremy Pena and undoubted player of the game. Following Jose Altuve’s loud triple from just the 2nd pitch of the evening from Phillies starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard (it was ruled a double and an error rather than a triple but what was more important was that Altuve was mere inches from a home run), Pena cracked a single up the middle between 2nd and 3rd base to give the Astros an early lead and his first RBI (Run Batted In) of the evening. In the 3rd inning, Pena made a leaping and extraordinary catch at shortstop to deny the unlucky Nick Castellanos an almost certain double, thus beginning an evening of incredible defensive plays from the Astros that backed up both their run scoring and pitching prowess, before Pena dispatched Syndergaard’s 44th and last pitch of the evening over the left field fence to re-establish their lead at 2–1 in the top of the 4th inning. Pena’s home run was the first from a rookie shortstop in World Series history and he’d add a 3rd and last hit of the evening in the 8th inning as he pushed Jose Altuve from 1st to 3rd base on another perfect hit to the outfield. Altuve would score to make the game 3–1 in the top of the 8th inning before Ryan Pressly was called upon by Astros manager Dusty Baker to close out the game to return to Houston with a crucial 3–2 lead and just 1 win away from their second World Series title and first since defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2017.
Postscript and selected quotes taken from www.mlb.com
Player of the game, Jeremy Pena
“Once we accomplish our goal, which is to go all the way, then I’ll sit down and reflect on the journey,” Peña said. “But there’s still work to do, and we’ve got to lock it in.”
“You’ve just got to be grateful to be in the position that we’re in,” Peña said. “We’re in the World Series. That in itself is something special. So I just go out and enjoy it, have fun, play hard, play my game, and then just trust my preparation.”
Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson
“You got to give them credit,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “We just didn’t get many hits with runners in scoring position, and we had a lot of opportunities.”
Thanks for reading. Please feel free to delve into the cave of wonders that is my archives here or linked below are my articles on Games 1 through 4 of the World Series hence far:
“The Reptile” leads the Astros to historic no hitter in Philadelphia. World Series is tied 2–2
Houston Astros 5 Philadelphia Phillies 0, 2nd November 2022.medium.com
Blowout in Game 3 as the Phillies shut out the Astros
Houston Astros 0 Philadelphia Phillies 7, 1st November 2022.medium.com
Framber Valdez spins a gem as the Astros level up the World Series at 1–1
Philadelphia Phillies 2 Houston Astros 5, 29th October 2022.medium.com
Phillies take Game 1 on a wild night in Houston
Philadelphia Phillies 6 Houston Astros 5, 28th October 2022.medium.com