World Series Game One: An Improbable Comeback

For the second straight year, the World Series got underway in Texas' largest city: Houston. The one difference was the Houston Astros' opponent, as this time, they faced off against the Philadelphia Phillies, and based on the standings alone, this was yet another case of David facing Goliath. The Astros were in their second straight Series, and were looking to win this year to remove a lot of the stench from their tainted 2017 championship. As for the Phillies, they weren't even supposed to be in the playoffs, let alone the World Series. Season declared dead early in the summer, then a change in manager resulted in a great 2nd half and a postseason berth, which saw them go 9-2 en route to their first pennant in 13 years.

Despite this, very few people gave the Phillies a chance. It certainly looked like there was justification at first. The first three innings were all Astros. Justin Verlander was dealing, and Kyle Tucker homered twice, resulting in a 5-0 lead just one-third into Game One. It didn't look good for the Phillies, as after the third inning, they had a 6.6% chance of winning this game. But as the line from Dumb and Dumber goes, "So you're telling me there's a chance."

Nick Castellanos got the ball rolling in the fourth, as his RBI single put Philly on the board, and it was followed by a two-run double that drove in Castellanos and Bryce Harper. It was 5-3 Astros after the fourth, and in the fifth, J.T. Realmuto tied the game with a two-run double. The game remained tied for the most part, even after the Phillies had the bases loaded in the eighth inning, though Hector Neris struck out Castellanos to keep it tied. The game went to extra innings, and the Phils didn't waste time, as Realmuto led off the 10th with a solo shot to give the Phillies their first lead of the game. That HR would be the difference, as the Astros were shut down in the bottom half of the extra frame, and that was that.

Game One of the 2022 World Series was the 608th postseason game to feature a team leading by at least five runs. The Astros became only the 19th team to lose such a game after holding that lead. Aaron Nola gave up all five Astros runs in 4 1/3 innings pitched. Regarding the Phillies bullpen: 5 2/3 IP, four hits, and seven strikeouts. Kyle Tucker homered twice and drive in four of the Astros' five runs, the only other RBI came from Martin Maldonado. Jose Altuve, who has been struggling all postseason, went 1-for-5, while Yordan Alvarez was held hitless in four at-bats.

In World Series history, the winner of Game One has gone on to win the Series 64.3% of the time. The last team to win Game One yet lose the Series was the 2017 Los Angeles Dodgers; in contrast, the Phillies' last World Series appearance saw them win Game One, but lose the Series. The Astros lost for the first time in the 2022 Postseason, and it was yet another home loss--they are 3-9 in home World Series games. Justin Verlander still hasn't won a World Series game in his career. This was his eighth time starting a World Series game, yet he's 0-6 in his career--a terrible and rare blemish in what should be a Hall of Fame career.

For the first time all postseason, the Astros have their backs to the wall. The best they can do now is salvage a split in the first two games, which will mean that the Phillies will play all three home games in the Series. However, if the Phillies manage to take Game Two, then they may not need all three games. The Phillies won't have a lot of time to drink in their win, and the Astros won't have a lot of time to figure out what went wrong, as Game Two is Saturday night in Houston.

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