Phillies erase 5-run deficit to take Game 1 of World Series in extras

The Philadelphia Phillies came back from a 5-0 deficit to defeat the Houston Astros 6-5 in Game 1 of the World Series on Friday at Minute Maid Park.

J.T. Realmuto delivered the decisive blow in the 10th inning, hitting a solo homer off Luis Garcia.

Philadelphia outfielder Nick Castellanos made a game-saving sliding catch in the ninth inning to send the game to extras, stealing a bloop hit from Jeremy Pena with Jose Altuve on second base.

The Phillies are just the sixth team to overcome a World Series game deficit of five or more runs and the first since the 2002 Los Angeles Angels did it against the San Francisco Giants in Game 6. Like Philadelphia, the Angels trailed 5-0 and ultimately won 6-5.

“All in all, it was a great game, a great come-from-behind victory, and it just showed the resilience of the club again and how tough they are and they just never quit,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said.

The victory ended the Astros’ perfect postseason run after Houston swept the Seattle Mariners in the American League Division Series and the New York Yankees in the championship series. The Astros are now 7-1 this postseason. Before Friday, their last loss came Oct. 3 during the regular season against the Phillies with Aaron Nola starting.

While Nola was sharp in that outing, his Game 1 performance wasn’t especially pretty. The righty coughed up two homers to Kyle Tucker in the course of allowing five runs on six hits and two walks over 4 1/3 innings, and Jose Alvarado replaced Nola in the fifth.

Tucker finished the night with four of the Astros’ five RBIs.

Individual World Series success has eluded Justin Verlander despite his storied career, and that streak continued Friday. The two-time Cy Young winner was given an early 5-0 lead and seemed poised to claim his first Fall Classic victory.

Instead, the Phillies battled back against the 39-year-old, scoring five runs on six hits and two walks. Verlander, who left after five innings with the game tied, remains 0-6 and now owns a 6.07 ERA in eight career World Series starts.

“Disappointing, yeah, for sure,” Verlander said postgame. “I need to do better. No excuses.”

The Astros have run into some trouble at home during their recent World Series appearances. In their four Fall Classics over the past six seasons, Houston is 3-8 at Minute Maid Park. Dating back to the 2019 championship, the Astros are 1-7 over their past eight home games.

Breakout closer Seranthony Dominguez wound up earning the win for the Phillies, coming in during the eighth inning to record five crucial outs. He struck out three while allowing one hit. David Robertson notched the save.

Garcia, who gave up the Realmuto homer, was hit with the loss in his second appearance of the postseason.

Game 2 is slated for Saturday at 8:03 p.m. ET, with Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler scheduled to face southpaw Framber Valdez.