A Fall HR Derby In South Philly
We should’ve known what type of night it was going to be for the Philadelphia Phillies when Nick Castellanos made his signature sliding catch for the first out of the game, robbing Jose Altuve and the Houston Astros of a leadoff hit. That grab was the first sign of things to come
The Phillies defeated the Astros, 7-0, in game 3 of the best-of-seven series at Citizens Bank Park in South Philly and are now two wins away from capturing their third championship in franchise history. Game 3 starter Ranger Saurez was superb in his first World Series start, while Astros starter Lance McCullers Jr. collected the loss for Houston.
NLCS MVP Bryce Harper continued his torrid run through the playoffs with another signature moment that started the hit parade. A first-inning two-run blast to rightfield with two outs and Kyle Schwarber on base after drawing a leadoff walk. Harper got a pitch that he liked in the zone and sent the ball to the seats. Setting the tone for the hitters on Philadelphia’s side. Following his celebrations with his teammates after hitting his sixth homer of the postseason… first of the World Series, he mentioned to Castellanos (who was next up on deck) and third baseman Alec Bohm of what he saw from McCullers Jr. that led to his moon shot. Bohm took his advice in his first at-bat in the bottom of the second and sent a screaming line drive to the fans in left field, making it a 3-0 game. They didn’t stop there. Two batters later – centerfielder Brandon Marsh, who is known more for his glove than his bat, got a hold of one that just cleared the fence for a solo shot… 4-0 Phils. In a good groove now. Schwarber and Rhys Hoskins went back-to-back for the fourth and fifth home runs of the night to make it 7-0 Phils. The National League homerun champ, Schwarber hit a two-run towering blast to straightaway center as the crowd erupted on a clear fall night.
The always-cool Suarez pitched five scoreless innings — giving up just three hits, recording four strikeouts, and walking one on 76 pitches for the win. He didn’t face much trouble at all in the outing. The toughest spot came in his final inning with runners on first and second for Houston but was able to get Altuve to foul out on the first base side before exiting the game for the night. Good call by Phillies’ manager Rob Thomson to trust Suarez to get out of the inning. Relievers Connor Brogdon, Kyle Gibson, Nick Nelson and Andrew Bellatti did the rest out of the bullpen to secure the win. Another good night for Thomson as he continues to press the right buttons.
Philadelphia has not lost a game this postseason on their home field, sporting a 6-0 record after Tuesday night’s victory. They only have two more left in this magical season at CBP… might as well end it all with a bang.
