Thursday, November 3, 2022

World Series Game 3 - Five Home Runs Shake the Bank


Phillies 7
, Astros 0
World Series Game 3 - Tuesday Night, November 1st in Philadelphia
Phillies lead series, 2-1

One Sentence Summary:  Led by Bryce Harper's first inning two-run home run, the Phillies offense collected a World Series record-tying five home runs overall in this exuberant 7-0 win over the Astros.

What It Means:  The Phillies fans promised a loud and raucous atmosphere for the first home World Series game since 2009, and nearly 46,000 of us delivered.  From the first pitch of the game when Jose Altuve lined out to a diving Nick Castellanos, to the final pitch, when Andrew Bellatti struck out Chas McCormick looking, the ballpark shook and we rarely sat.


What Happened / Featured Card:
  The home runs made headlines, but Ranger Suarez quietly threw five shutout innings, striking out four and allowing three hits and a walk.  He turned the game over to Connor Brogdon, Kyle Gibson, Nick Nelson and Bellatti, who made quick work of the Astros' offense over the final four innings, allowing just two more hits.

Harper started the scoring (and upped the noise level) with his blast in the first, scoring Kyle Schwarber who had walked to start the inning.  Alec Bohm and Brandon Marsh added two more home runs in the second, with Bohm's shot an absolute laser over the left field wall and Marsh's shot standing following an umpire review.  In the fifth, Schwarver and Hoskins went back-to-back, giving the Phillies their 7-0 lead and allowing a few of the low leverage relievers to get some work.

Field Report:  Following the rain-out on Monday night, Doug and I returned on Tuesday, with Doug once again opting for Bull's BBQ and with me mixing things up with Chickie's and Pete's.  We returned one last time to Section 113 for this game, rarely actually using our seats.  It was Doug's first ever World Series game, and only my second, as Jenna and I attended Game 3 of the 2008 World Series, waiting out the lengthy rain delay and staying until nearly two in the morning when Carlos Ruiz dribbled a ball to third, scoring Eric Bruntlett with the winning run.  And speaking of the 2008 club, most of the key players from that team were in attendance at this game, with Jayson Werth, Ryan Howard, Cole Hamels and Shane Victorino catching ceremonial first pitches from Mike Schmidt, Bernie Parent, Dr. J and Brandon Graham.

Somewhat lost in the excitement was the awarding of a Gold Glove to catcher J.T. Realmuto before the game.  It's Realmuto's second Gold Glove win, joining the one he earned in 2019.

No comments: