Philadelphia closes out home series with a 3-2 loss to Houston

Well, this seems to be a familiar feeling from Game 4 for Philadelphia fans. After recording the second-ever no-hitter in World Series history, Rob Thomson and the fans of the Philadelphia Phillies hoped to take the final game at home against the defending champions Houston Astros. While the team DID end up making this a nail-biter to the end, the Phillies finished their season at Citizens Bank Park with a 3-2 loss to Houston.

It was a tied game through four as Noah Syndergaard, Connor Brogdon, and Seranthony Dominguez took the mound. Two of the runs from Houston came off Syndergaard, while Dominguez gave up the game-winning run in the eighth. The series heads back to Houston with the Astros just one win away from another World Series.

Starting off hotter than hot

Houston made sure that they took an early lead in this important contest. Second baseman Jose Altuve, at his first at-bat, hit a double that took Phillies centerfielder Brandon Marsh by surprise. Altuve advanced to third, and that set up shortstop Jeremy Pena. A name that strikes fear in the hearts of Phillies fans. Pena immediately contributed with a single up the middle, bringing home Altuve.

Thankfully, Philadelphia wasn’t going to take that run lying down. Bottom of the inning and with Justin Verlander on the mound, slugger Kyle Schwarber laid one down over the right-field fence, and this game is all tied up at one run each. The leadoff home run gave off the vibe of “here we go with the dingers.”

Verlander, after eight career starts and going 0-6 in the Fall Classic, he hung around for five innings. He gave up on one run and struck out six. Unfortunately for Phillies fans, the Astros bullpen put up a nearly flawless performance. Rafael Montero gave up one in the bottom of the eighth, but Ryan Pressly got the save, striking out Rhys Hoskins.

Can’t keep a fightin’ Phil down

As the undeniable series underdogs, Philadelphia didn’t go down without a fight.

Houston put Montero on the mound to start the home half of the eighth inning. It didn’t start ideally for him as he walked Nick Castellanos. After walking Bryson Scott and runners on first and second, it was Jean Segura up at bat. Starting off with a 0-1 count, Segura sent the fastball to the right field. His RBI single brought Castellanos home and set up Stott to third.

Houston manager Dusty Baker decided a 3-2 game was a bit too close for comfort. Enter closer Ryan Pressly to face Brandon Marsh. He struck out, and that set up a big showdown with the man who earned the Phillies’ first run: Schwarber. Two outs, two runners on, and Schwarber nailed one down the right-field line. Except Trey Mancini swallowed up the ball and tagged first, ending the rally at CBP

Hometown hero steals Phillies’ thunder

While Thor was on the mound for Philadelphia, a local boy stole the show at the park he attended as a kid. Bottom of the ninth, catcher J.T Realmuto smashed one to centerfield, and it LOOKED like it could be another in-the-park home run. However, centerfielder Chas McCormick at the warning track and to the wall robs Realmuto of a base hit.

Realmuto was 0-5 at the plate on the evening and, had he made it on base, could have provided a tying run and much-needed rally. In the clip, you see Realmuto with a 1-1 count and smoke the pitch to the wall. In the hypothetical world where he earned a double, maybe a triple, Bryce Harper would’ve been up next with one out. Instead, Harper came to bat and made it to first after a hit by pitch.

McCormick, with the save of the game, hails from West Chester, Pa. He attended Phillies games as a kid. The 27-year-old batted .245/.332/.407 and notched 14 homers and four stolen bases in the regular season. There’s no doubt that his save put the nail in the coffin for a win at home.

What’s next for the Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies pack up their bags and head back to Houston for Game Six on Saturday night. If the Phillies can even the series up at three games a piece, there’s a chance to clinch it on the road in Game Seven.