Jason Heyward ignited hopes for an incredible Astros comeback with a strong smash that soared off his bat in an exciting moment on Tuesday (October 1) afternoon. Victory was possible for a split second, but as Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson shut his glove firmly on the ninth inning’s last out, the excitement gave way to sadness.
Joe Espada stated; “He hits that ball a few inches, a few feet over his head, that ball gets hit in the corner and [Chas] McCormick scores from first [and we win]. … Those guys never quit, so I’m not surprised by our push there at the end”
Teams that win Game 1 of the best-of-three Wild Card Series have advanced 14 out of 16 times in its short history.
Remarkably, eight of the ten clubs that won the first game away from home went on to win the series, with seven sweeping their opponents.
The Tigers won the second game, too, defeating the Astros 5-2 on Wednesday (October 2), to advance to the American League Division Series.
Detroit swept the best-of-three AL Wild Card Series to reach a second-round matchup against the Cleveland Guardians, who host the opener on Saturday (October 5).
This is the first time the Astros failed to advance after seven straight trips to the American League Championship Series. They won the World Series in 2017 and 2022.
Houston’s Cristian Javier and five relievers pitched a three-hit shutout Saturday as the Astros beat the New York Yankees 5-0, moving within one victory of reaching the World Series.
Chas McCormick smacked a home run and Christian Vazquez drove in two runs for the Astros, who seized a 3-0 lead over the Yankees in their best-of-seven Major League Baseball playoff matchup.
Houston can complete a sweep of the American League Championship Series by winning Sunday in New York.
“Every night we have a big chance to win,” Vazquez said. “We have big pieces on the team and we’re in a good place now. It’s a special team.
“It was a big win for us.”
The Philadelphia Phillies carry a 2-1 series lead over visiting San Diego into a later National League Championship Series contest.
The Astros, in the ALCS for a record sixth consecutive season, seek their fourth World Series appearance in that span, having won the title in 2017 but lost in 2019 and last year.
Yankees right-handed pitcher Gerrit Cole, twice a winner in the division series, started against 25-year-old Dominican right-hander Javier, making his first start in three weeks.
Javier hurled 5 1/3 shutout innings, striking out five while allowing only one hit and three walks.
“He’s got one of the best fastballs and sliders in the game,” catcher Vazquez said of Javier. “So attacking hitters, that’s the key for him, and getting ahead.”
A costly second-inning Yankee error helped Houston grab a 2-0 lead.
Vazquez’s two-out fly ball was dropped by New York outfielder Harrison Bader after he and teammate Aaron Judge nearly collided in right-centerfield.
Instead of the inning being over, Vazquez reached first base and McCormick followed with a two-run homer to right field off Cole that put the Astros ahead.
Giancarlo Stanton delivered New York’s only hit of the first eight innings with a one-out double to wall in the fourth but two Yankee fly outs ended the inning.
‘I hit it good’
Houston’s Alex Bregman doubled to open the sixth inning, Kyle Tucker walked and both advanced on Yuli Gurriel’s single to right field to load the bases, prompting New York to reeplace Cole with relief pitcher Lou Trivino.
Trey Mancini’s sacrifice fly drove in a run and Vazquez followed with a two-run single to left field as Houston created the final victory margin.
“They throw me a lot of sliders,” Vazquez said. “I was trying to sit on it and I hit it good. It was a big two runs batted in there.”
After that, Houston’s relievers baffled Yankee batters to complete the triumph, New York adding singles from Matt Carpenter and Bader with two outs in the ninth.
The Yankees, winners of a record 27 World Series titles, have not reached the championship showdown since beating Philadelphia for the 2009 crown. They have lost their past four ALCS appearances, the past two to Houston.
In the NL, the Phillies, in the playoffs for the first time since 2011, haven’t reached the World Series since 2009.
San Diego last went this deep in the playoffs in 1998, when the Padres were swept by the Yankees in the World Series.
Houston starting pitcher Framber Valdez struck out nine over 6 1/3 innings on Saturday, sparking the Astros over Philadelphia 5-2 to pull level in the World Series.
The 28-year-old Dominican left-hander, a 17-game winner in the regular season, allowed only one run on four hits with three walks to frustrate Phillies batters.
As a result, Houston equalized at 1-1 in Major League Baseball’s best-of-seven championship final, which shifts to Philadelphia for games three through five from Monday through Wednesday.
The Astros, playing in their fourth World Series in six seasons, seek their first title since 2017 while the Phillies, in the playoffs after an 11-year absence, seek their first crown since 2008.
The Phillies became the first team in 20 years to rally from five runs down to win a World Series game in capturing the opener 6-5, ending the Astros’ unbeaten run in this year’s playoffs.
Houston leadoff hitter Jose Altuve, batting 4-for-37 in this year’s playoffs, went 3-for-4 at the plate.
“My confidence and timing were there tonight and hopefully I’ll keep going,” Altuve said. “I got a couple good pitches I could put a hit on and made some good ones.”
Valdez struggled in last year’s World Series against Atlanta, losing game one and giving up a grand-slam homer in the first inning of game five, which Houston rallied to win.
But he was more than equal to the task in a crucial game, mystifying Phillies batters with masterful command of his pitches.
“He was great,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said of Valdez. “His sinker was good. His breaking ball, once he got tired, was excellent. He was tough.”
The Phillies went only 2-for-17 with runners on base.
Houston’s first three batters — Altuve, Jeremy Pena and Yordan Alvarez — all doubled on only four total pitches from Phillies starter Zack Wheeler to provide the Astros a quick 2-0 lead.
“I was just trying to get my pitch and be on time, basically get a good pitch to hit and hit it hard,” said Altuve. “It’s always good with one swing of the bat to get the boys going.”
Alvarez took third base on Kyle Tucker’s fly out to centerfield and raced home on an error by Phillies shortstop Edmundo Sosa to give Houston a 3-0 lead after one inning.
Alex Bregman blasted a two-run homer off Wheeler with two out in the fifth inning to boost Houston’s lead to 5-0, the same edge the Astros had squandered the night before.
Bregman’s six career World Series homers are the most by any third baseman in MLB history.
The Phillies, 0-for-7 with runners on base through five innings, broke through in the sixth when Kyle Schwarber walked and Rhys Hoskins singled. But Valdez struck out J.T. Realmuto and Bryce Harper grounded into a double play to end the threat.
Philadelphia scored to pull within 5-1 in the seventh inning when Nick Castellanos doubled, took third on Alec Bohm’s ground out to shortstop and raced home on Jean Segura’s sacrifice fly to left field.
Video nixes homer
Bryson Stott drew a 12-pitch walk to open the Phillies’ eighth and Schwarber hit a towering blast to the right-field pole.
Schwarber rounded the bases with what appeared to be a two-run homer but a video review by the umpires ruled it was a only foul ball and Schwarber later hit a deep fly out as Houston escaped the inning without surrendering a run.
In the ninth, Astros relief pitcher Ryan Pressly surrendered a one-out double to Bohm, who scored on a two-out fielding error by Houston first baseman Gurriel before Stott grounded out to end the game.
Despite the Houston Astros’ triumphant victory in the 2022 World Series led by the sensational Yordan Alvarez, their hopes of retaining the top spot in 2023 have been thwarted by a string of devastating injuries.
The team’s aspirations hit when Jose Altuve, the 2017 MVP and a perennial All-Star, fractured his thumb during the World Baseball Classic, sidelining him for the season’s first two months. Furthermore, the absence of outfielder Michael Brantley, who has been grappling with persistent shoulder problems since June 2022, has further exacerbated the Astros’ struggles.
In a fateful showdown with the Toronto Blue Jays, the Houston Astros faced a devastating blow. The momentous clash saw Yordan Alvarez, the powerhouse slugger, forced to exit the game after his initial at-bat. A sad announcement ensued, revealing that Alvarez’s extraordinary talent would be sidelined for 4 to 6 weeks due to a formidable oblique injury.
Bob Nightengale “Tough news for the Houston #Astros, who were without Jose Altuve for 2 months, still don’t have Michael Brantley, and now are without MVP candidate Yordan Alvarez for 4-6 weeks, targeting late July.” (an article from sportskeeda.com mentioned)
Alvarez bears the burden of fan disdain due to his association with the Houston Astros during the infamous 2017-2018 sign-stealing scandal. Despite his innocence, the team’s dishonest tactics, including the notorious garbage can banging, have left him unfairly unpopular among opposing fans.
As the Astros trail the Texas Rangers by 3.5 games in the AL West, the window of opportunity to narrow the gap dwindles. With Alvarez sidelined, manager Dusty Baker must seek innovative methods to compensate for the diminished run production. Although the team possesses the talent to overcome challenges, the uphill struggle persists for the reigning champions.
Game three of the World Series between the Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies was postponed from Monday because of heavy rain in the Philadelphia forecast, Major League Baseball said.
A statement issued by MLB shortly before the game was to have begun said it had been postponed until Tuesday “due to inclement weather and the forecast for rain throughout the evening.”
MLB said the remainder of the best-of-seven championship series would be pushed back one day, with games four and five now scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday in Philadelphia.
Games six and seven, if necessary, will be on Saturday and Sunday in Houston.
While it wasn’t yet raining when officials made the call to postpone, Phillies manager Rob Thomson said he thought it was the right move.
“Just looking at the radar, it looked like it was going to pick up over the course of the night and it looks like at 9 o’clock it’s going to be raining pretty hard,” he said. “So, it’s the right decision, really.”
The Astros and Phillies are tied 1-1 after splitting the first two games in Houston.
J.T. Realmuto’s homer in the top of the 10th inning lifted the unfancied Phillies to victory in game one, but the Astros rebounded with a victory in game two on Saturday.
Game three will be the Phillies’ first World Series home game since 2009. They are 5-0 at home in this year’s playoffs.
The game was the first World Series contest to be postponed since game six in 2011 between the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers.
Astros manager Dusty Baker said right-handed pitcher Lance McCullers would still get the ball for game three on Tuesday.
The Phillies said left-hander Ranger Suarez will now start game three instead of right-hander Noah Syndergaard, who was scheduled to pitch on Monday.
Astros rested, ready for game four World Series
For game four of the World Series, the Phillies will send Aaron Nola to the mound against the Astros’ Cristian Javier.
Baker said before the postponement that if there was a delay the Astros could potentially bring Justin Verlander back on regular to pitch game four, but they opted to go with Javier instead.
“I don’t think we need to rest really right now,” Baker said. “We’ve had plenty of rest. We’ve had a lot of off days this last month. So, it’s just a temporary postponement. We’ll just take it as that and come out ready to play (Tuesday).”
The Phillies clinched the National League Championship Series with a win against San Diego in blustery, rainy weather, but Phillies relief pitcher Seranthony Dominguez threw three wild pitches in the seventh as he struggled to grip the ball.
Thomson said he was sure MLB didn’t want a repeat of those kind of conditions in the championship showcase.
“You just couldn’t keep the balls dry,” Thomson said. “It was just raining so hard. And I don’t think MLB or anybody, Astros or us, we want to get into that scenario again.”
The Phillies won the 2008 World Series with a game-five triumph that took three days to complete because of rain.
When that October 27 game was suspended after the top of the sixth inning it was the first game in World Series history not to be played through to completion or declared a tie.
The contest was finally resumed and completed on October 29.
Ronel Blanco surprisingly pitched a no-hitter in their recent game with Toronto Blue Jays, helping his team win with a record of 10-0 in this year’s MLB season. With four of the Astros starting pitchers sidelined due to injuries, Blanco had successfully led Houston with remarkable efficiency.
For the record, Blanco shut down the Toronto offensive with 105 pitches and seven strikeouts against the Blue Jays.
The Astros reported that Blanco threw four curveballs, thirty-one fastballs, thirty-four sliders, and thirty-six changeups. Throughout the game, he forced 59 swings, forcing 20 misses, half of which came on his changeup. More so, Blanco recorded his last out after forcing Toronto slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to ground out to second baseman Mauricio Dubón.
Blanco’s benefit
With this achievement, the 17th no-hitter in Astros history has been achieved. It was truly an unforgettable day for Blanco, who made the most out of the injuries of fellow Astros pitchers Luis Garcia, Lance McCullers Jr., Justin Verlander, and José Urquidy. In just his third major league season, Blanco accomplished this incredible success.
In an interview, Blanco stated: “It’s been a very long road traveled for me, a lot of ups and downs – a lot of falls and me getting back up…But I think all of that has been worth it for me to be able to get to this moment.”
Moreover, after opening the 2024 season with four defeats to the New York Yankees, Blanco’s effort was crucial for the Astros as it enabled Houston to secure its first victory of the year. The victory was also first-year Astros manager Espada’s first win in his new position.
“His journey, he’s in front of his family. His mom is here, and to do that in front of the people that love him and support him, it makes it even that much more special,” Espada expressed towards Blanco.
