World Series results: Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber hit home runs as Phillies power past Astros in Game 3

Game 3 of the Philadelphia Phillies was worth the wait. After rain forced the postponement of Game 3 on Monday, the Phillies and Houston Astros resumed the World Series on Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park, and the Phillies hit five home runs and won 7-0 (box score). They lead the best-of-seven series 2-1. A championship is two wins away from Philadelphia.

Amazingly, after the Phillies built a 7-0 lead, they didn’t get an at-bat with a runner in scoring position until the sixth inning. Bryce Harper opened the scoring in the first with a two-run homer, and the Phillies kept going from there on Lance McCullers Jr. The Phillies are a perfect 6-0 at home this postseason.

Excerpts from Game 3 of the World Series.

1. Harper gives the Phillies the lead (again)

Harper’s final performance before Game 3 was at Citizens Bank Park He cruised over the left field wall for a two-run home run in the eighth inning of Game 5 of the NLCS.. That was the winning homer. And Harper saw it on the first play in Game 3. He hit a two-run homer into the right field seats. Back-to-back homers at home.

McCullers’ response tells you all you need to know:

“It’s just trying to get a good pitch at the plate,” Harper said in an interview with Fox.Video). “We met (the McCullers) at the end of the year and we got a good look at it. That’s a good team, so to be able to hit first is big.”

The home run was Harper’s sixth of the postseason and his fourth go-ahead homer this October. Only Albert Pujols has hit more leadoff homers in a single postseason. In the year In 2004, he had five. The Astros were good at limiting Harper in Games 1 and 2 (2 for 8 with two singles and a walk), but it was only a matter of time before he took one of those game-changing hits. It came early in the 3rd game.

2. Bohm hit a critical homer

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the 1,000th home run in World Series history. Alec Boehm made the award:

The first home run in World Series history was hit in Game 1 of the 1903 World Series, when Jimmy Sebring of the Pittsburgh Pirates took Cy Young of the Boston Americans deep. Sai Young, eh? Can’t get any more branded than that. Tuesday’s Game 3 marked the first time in World Series history that a team hit three home runs in the first two innings of a game, if you can believe it.

It should be noted that prior to Boehm’s at-bat, Harper had called him to the excavated railroad to impart wisdom. Boehm wouldn’t reveal what Harper said during the undercover interview (why would he?), but Bryce has a reputation for being one of the best in the game at picking up on subtle nuances in a pitcher’s delivery. Could McCullers be tipping the scales in Game 3??

3. McCullers had a bad night in history

After Harper and Boham hit their homers, the Phillies weren’t done yet. Brandon Marsh (single), Kyle Schwarber (two-run double) and Rhys Hoskins (solo) all drove in McCullers deep later in the game to give Philadelphia a 7-0 lead. McCullers became the first pitcher in history to allow five home runs in a World Series game. Here’s the homer strike that put the game out of reach:

McCullers had never allowed more than three homers in a game before Game 3. The Philadelphia lefty saw 34 pitches from the Houston righty, hitting three homers and just missing a swing. one time. The Phillies are the second team to have five different players in a World Series game, joining the 2017 Astros (Game 5).

To be fair to McCullers, he probably shouldn’t have been in the game in the fifth inning, and certainly not after Marsh slapped a one-out single. He missed the lineup twice, was shaky most of the night, and the Astros were still up 4-0 in the game. McCullers stayed in, Schwarber and Hoskins hit back-to-back bombs, and suddenly the game was out of reach.

4. Suarez was great.

Ranger Suarez’s performance in the middle of the field should not be overlooked. The 27-year-old southpaw fired five shutout innings against the high-powered Astros and allowed just four of the 19 batters he faced (just three on the fly). They allowed seven pitches, four strikeouts, four singles and a walk.

Houston has two main chances against Suarez. They put two out runners on the corners in the second inning, but Suarez singled out Chase McCormick for a triple. Then, two outs put runners on first and second in the fifth, but Jose Altuve grounded out and popped up with four outs. Suarez is cool, calm and collected, and has had big outings when needed.

Once Schwarber and Hoskins opened the game in the fifth inning, Phillies manager Rob Thompson was able to turn to his secondary relievers to seal the win. Connor Brogdon pitched the sixth inning, Kyle Gibson pitched the seventh, Nick Nelson the eighth, and Andrew Belati finished the ninth. Jose Alvarado and Seranthony Dominguez (and Zach Eflin and David Robertson) will finish the night and get good rest for games 4 and 5, which is a win within a win. Initiation wins.

5. Phillies dominated at home

The Fightin’ Phils are now a perfect 6-0 this October at Citizens Bank Park, outscoring their opponents 17-6 — 17-6! — in six games. Before these 2022 Phillies, no team had hit more than 15 homers in six home games in a single postseason. what about that The Phillies have outscored their opponents 42-15 in their last six home games. 42 is a headline, but 15 works out to 2.50 runs per game. It’s great.

6. Next up

Game 4. With the best-of-seven tied at 1-1, the winner of Game 3 has won the streak at a perfect 69 percent. That’s good news for the Phillies. Game 4 is Wednesday night at Citizens Bank Park. Game 1 starter Aaron Nola (11-13, 3.25 ERA) and righty Cristian Javier (11-9, 2.94 ERA) are the scheduled starting pitchers.