World Series 2022: Top Storylines for Astros vs. Phillies Game 5
Now it's a series.
On Wednesday night, the Houston Astros no-hit the Philadelphia Phillies to the tune of 5-0 in Game 4 of the 2022 World Series just one night after being shut out themselves to swing the series back to the middle.
Cristian Javier struck out five straight batters over the course of the fourth and fifth innings and pitched a dominant six innings that set the stage for just the second no-hitter in World Series history.
"That shows you that the best pitch in baseball is still the well-located fastball," Astros manager Dusty Baker told Hannah Keyser of Yahoo Sports after the game.
"I think that's the best fastball right now in baseball," Astros catcher Christian Vázquez added. "You can call it anytime. No matter who is in the batter's box, you can call it and it's going to be success with that pitch."
Javier set the tone on the mound, and relievers Bryan Abreu, Rafael Montero and Ryan Pressly came in to close things out.
No-hitters in the Fall Classic are rare, and both teams have very different opinions about it.
Houston, obviously, love the fact that it puts them in the history books.
"It’s crazy," Astros third baseman Alex Bregman told Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post. "We grew up watching the World Series. We know baseball’s been going on for a long, long time. So to be a part of, just be a teammate on a team that did that and what Javy and the guys did is really special."
Philly, on the other hand, want to speed past the iconic night and get to the next game.
"I really don't give a s--t," Kyle Schwarber told NBCSPhilly after the no-hit loss. "No. Move on to tomorrow. It's cool. We'll be in the history books, I guess."
Game 5 is the last game in Philadelphia at Citizens Bank Park before the series goes back to Houston, and the most important thing on the minds of both ballclubs is winning two more games.
"I love the no-hitter, it’s awesome,’" Astros center fielder Chas McCormick told Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY. "It’s really cool. But we got two more wins to go. We don’t lose sight of that. That’s when we’ll really celebrate."
Now that things are all tied up at 2-2, here are the top storylines heading into Game 5.
Impact of Astros Justin Verlander on the Mound
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Dusty Baker said a mouthful when noting that the best pitch in baseball is still "a well-located fastball."
That's the inevitable truth about these Houston Astros.
They can pitch with the best of them, and when it comes down to it, they have one of the best bullpens in baseball.
Cristian Javier's historic night in Game 4 is the most recent evidence of that.
Taking the mound for what is now a pivotal Game 5 on Thursday is Astros pitcher Justin Verlander, who is likely to win his third-career Cy Young for his league-leading 1.75 ERA in 28 starts shortly after this 118th World Series is over.
So far, the 39-year old ace has had an uneven postseason, but he did show that he can bring the heat with the 11-strikeout performance he had against the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the ALCS.
Now, considering that he's 0-6 (5.68 ERA) in eight World Series starts, Verlander will be out to prove his Cy Young is no fluke and that he can deliver when it matters most.
And for the Astros, this Game 5 will be one of the most important games they've had since 2017.
And as pedestrian as Verlander has been in the Fall Classic, he still inspires fear in his opponents.
"He's one of the best," Phillies slugger Bryce Harper told Ronald Blum of the Associated Press. "Just got to go out there and have the best at-bats we can and do what we can to get some runs up there."
The only thing missing from Verlander's resume is a World Series win, so this is his time to put it all on the line and finally cross out that glaring blemish.
After all, a future Hall-of-Famer like Verlander can't continue to have the most pitching losses without a win in the history of MLB.
Battle of the Bats
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Through four games in this World Series matchup, it's apparent that in the battle of the bats, the Philadelphia Phillies are leading the way.
Bryce Harper has been otherworldly, and Alec Bohm, Brandon Marsh, Kyle Schwarber and Rhys Hoskins have been superb.
The Phils will need all five of them to bring their bats on Thursday night if they want to avoid giving the Astros the leverage and put them in a position of having to avoid elimination.
Harper and crew have already had the game of games in their 7-0 trouncing on Houston in Game 3, so it's in them to do it again on Thursday night.
But to do it, they'll apparently need a significant boost from their home crowd.
"I think it’s such a momentum swing for us just for the pure fact of our fanbase," Harper told Andy Jasner of Sports Illustrated. "We all come in here and we're ready to go and we're excited to get on the field because we know they're going to show up and there's going to be 46,000 people here screaming and yelling and going crazy.
"This whole city is so excited to be in this moment, and we're just thrilled to be able to play in front of them and have this opportunity and just be here with them."
As for Houston, Yordan Alvarez, Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman, Jeremy Peña and Yuli Gurriel have been clutch when it comes to hitting, so they'll need to continue that trend if they want to take the upper hand in this series.
But if the Astros truly want to set themselves apart in this series, they'll need a monster game from Jose Altuve.
He's yet to have a breakout performance in this postseason, and this would be an opportune time for him to finally have it.
But it won't be easy, considering all of the booing that rains down on him from Phillies fans every time he steps to the plate at Citizens Bank Park.
Perhaps he'll take some extra motivation from the altercation Astros superfan Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale had with a Phils fan while defending him.
"We were walking out, and some drunk old man said to pull the jerseys off all the Astros and show their buzzers," McIngvale told Rebecca Hennes of the Houston Chronicle.
"And then he said, 'Jose Altuve will never make the Hall of Fame because he is the biggest cheater ever,' and that's when I lost it."
