The Astros are at it again, throwing in a no-hitter to boot.
Despite the wild card Phillies becoming America’s darlings by wiping out the Cardinals, Braves and Padres in the playoffs, Houston had the best record in the American League for many reasons. The Astros’ pitching is the best kept secret in baseball and their bats can only be silenced for so long.
After four games, the 2022 World Series is looking strangely similar to the American League Championship Series last year. The Astros split the first two games at home against the Red Sox, who stunned them with two grand slam homers in Game 2. And the Sox won Game 3 in a blowout at Fenway Park, thinking they were on the way to another Word Series.
After splitting the first two games at home against the Phillies, the current World Series moved to Philadelphia where the home team continued its postseason slugfest with five home runs while posting a 7-0 whitewash in Game 3 and putting them in position to win their first world championship since 2008 without having to return to Houston.
But even worse than the Astros blasting the Red Sox in Game 4 in Boston the year before, they no-hit the Phillies, 5-0, Wednesday night to even the series. It was the second no-hitter in World Series history (Don Larsen’s perfect game for the Yankees in 1956 was the other) and ironically was both the second combined no-hitter for Houston this season and the second the Phillies had suffered in 2022, as well.
Now the Astros can win Game 5 on the road and Game 6 at home to close out the series and stun the Phillies like they did the Red Sox last year.
They have better hitting and pitching, and in a seven-game series that is likely to show up. Twenty-four-year-old Cristian Javier came out after 6 innings and three relievers finished off the no-hit gem that demoralized the subdued Philly crowd that was already counting on their team’s third world championship.
The winner of Game 5 for a 3-2 lead goes on to win the series almost 70 percent of the time, and the Astros have future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander pitching tonight and trying to break his own postseason jinx.
If he does against a tired Philadelphia rotation, the Astros need only more W at home to win their second World Series in six years and avenge losing in six games to the Braves last season, regaining the mantle as the best team in Major League Baseball.
Remember, you can never count them out.
Featured image via Associated Press/Matt Slocum
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our biweekly newsletter.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe:
Related Stories
‹
![]()
MLB Owners Lock Out Players, 1st Work Stoppage Since 1995Written by RONALD BLUM and STEPHEN HAWKINS Major League Baseball plunged into its first work stoppage in a quarter-century when the sport’s collective bargaining agreement expired Wednesday night and owners immediately locked out players in a move that threatens spring training and opening day. The strategy, management’s equivalent of a strike under federal labor law, […]
Chansky's Notebook: Slanted SeriesThere is a reason why the Astros and Braves won their divisions easily. Both league championship series have had wild swings and one dramatic comeback, but it sure looks like the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves are headed for the World Series. The Astros seemed in trouble after Boston won the second and third games […]
![]()
MLB Players Taking Visible Stance on Social JusticeMajor League Baseball hasn’t always been at the forefront of the social justice movement in recent years, with leagues like the NBA and NFL usually taking center stage. But in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis — and because of the quirks of a coronavirus-altered sports schedule — baseball is in the position […]
On the Porch: Tom Wolf - Baseball in the Roaring TwentiesThis Week:
Thomas Wolf is the author of The Called Shot: Babe Ruth, the Chicago Cubs, and the Unforgettable Major League Baseball Season of 1932 (Nebraska, 2020), finalist for the Seymour Medal from the Society for American Baseball Research, and coauthor, with Patricia Bryan, of Midnight Assassin: A Murder in America’s Heartland.
Chansky's Notebook: Long Night HomeThe Dodgers won the third game of the World Series Monday night in 18 innings, tying for the longest game in post-season history.
Shohei Ohtani Surpasses 50-50 Milestone in Spectacular Fashion With a 3-Homer, 2-Steal GameWritten by ALANIS THAMES Shohei Ohtani looked up at a visiting crowd that turned out to cheer him and the Los Angeles Dodgers — and ended up getting to witness one of the greatest individual performances, and seasons, in major league history. Fans lifted their phones to capture the moment and chanted “M-V-P!” as Ohtani […]
Ohtani’s Interpreter Is Fired by Dodgers After Allegations of ‘Massive Theft’ From Japanese StarShohei Ohtani’s interpreter and close friend was fired by the Los Angeles Dodgers following allegations of illegal gambling and theft.
Chansky's Notebook: Comeback KidFifteen years ago, Raleigh native Josh Hamilton lived the dream by hitting 28 bombs in the first round of the Home Run Derby.
Koh's Notebook: Pitch, PleaseArt Chansky’s Sports Notebook is presented by The Casual Pint. YOUR place for delicious pub food paired with local beer. Choose among 35 rotating taps and 200+ beers in the cooler. Major League Baseball may have finally gotten something right. Since taking the MLB commissioner job in 2015, it’s safe to say Rob Manfred hasn’t […]
Chansky's Notebook: Never Count Them OutThe Astros are at it again, throwing in a no-hitter to boot. Despite the wild card Phillies becoming America’s darlings by wiping out the Cardinals, Braves and Padres in the playoffs, Houston had the best record in the American League for many reasons. The Astros’ pitching is the best kept secret in baseball and their […]
›
