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John Smoltz’s take: the Phillies would rather win tonight and go up 2-0. He’s going on a limb here.
National Anthem
It’s country band Little Big Town with “The Star Spangled Banner.” Hope they remember the lyrics, as yesterday’s singer had a bit of an issue with that.
It’s a solid rendition, 7/10. They don’t stretch out the final few words which is the key to any acceptable anthem performance.
Rob Manfred tells @MadDogUnleashed the ghost runner/extra inning rule will likely stay. ‘The clubs like it,the players like it.And I think overall the fans like it.I think it does bring sort of a focus to the end of the baseball game in a way that has been positively received.’
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) October 29, 2022Just in case that yesterday’s extra-inning theatrics would be enough to get MLB to stop using the “ghost runner” during the regular season after games are tied after nine innings… of course they’re not going to change it! This is Rob Manfred’s MLB.
Predictions
Well, here’s my dilemma: I had the Houston Astros in five before the start of the World Series. So, by my math, that means I have to root for Houston to win these next four games. I’ve kind of painted myself into a corner.
Still, it feels like Philadelphia was aiming for a split here so they won’t be devastated while the Astros pretty much can’t afford to go down 0-2. I’m expecting Houston to come out with all guns blazing. Maybe a 7-2 win.
Of course, I was wrong yesterday so don’t go making bets with my predictions in mind. Have a different prediction? Or the same? Feel free to send your thoughts and analysis here, either via email (to [email protected]) or Twitter (to @HunterFelt).
Email from “Another Dan” in Toronto on the talent of one Dan Shulman:
Hunter,
I take pictures for a living – occasionally at MLB games – but no one paints more vivid images of what’s happening on the diamond than ESPN Radio’s Dan Shulman. A sumptuous voice that fills every corner of a listener’s ‘theatre of the mind’.
Turn on the telecast, mute the sound and let Shulman’s exemplary play call almost make the cameras seem redundant.
I will add that it’s never a bad decision to mute John Smoltz.
Labeling Astros manager Dusty Baker as the “co-creator” of the high-five is a bit much from this soft-focus interview. It was actually late teammate Glenn Burke who deserves the lion’s share of the credit. Check the story out.
Trying to decide whether @HunterFelt's reference to a "bullpen dual" was because both bullpens last night did a great job at holding the line, or because his finger slipped off the 'e'.
Looking for a second Phillies win tonight, but not in extras again.#WorldSeries
Listen, I am re-reading James Joyce’s “Finnegans Wake” so my brain is now operating solely on unconscious puns. I shall try to be more conscious of this going forward. Nobody needs baseball play-by-play that is written entirely in neologisms.
Houston Astros starting lineup
1. Jose Altuve, 2B
2. Jeremy Peña, SS
3. Yordan Álvarez, DH
4. Alex Bregman, 3B
5. Kyle Tucker, RF
6. Yuli Gurriel, 1B
7. Aledmys Díaz, LF
8. Chas McCormick, CF
9. Martín Maldonado, C
Pitcher: Framber Valdez
Philadelphia Phillies starting lineup
1. Kyle Schwarber, LF
2. Rhys Hoskins, 1B
3. J.T. Realmuto, C
4. Bryce Harper, DH
5. Nick Castellanos, RF
6. Alec Bohm, 3B
7. Jean Segura, 2B
8. Matt Vierling, CF
9. Edmundo Sosa, SS
Pitcher: Zack Wheeler
Where to watch Game 2 of the World Series
As always, we’ll start with the most important detail: where to actually follow tonight’s World Series Game 2. It’s basically the same deal as Game 1.
In the US, it’s live on FOX and also listen on your local ESPN Radio affiliate or, barring that, ESPNradio.com. The start time, again, is 8:03 pm EST. In the UK, you can screen it on BT Sports starting at 1:03 BST and, online, through the BT Sports app. I’m sure there are other ways of going about it but these are the most above-the-board ways to find the game.
Preamble
Well, I can’t be the only one still not recovered from yesterday’s Game 1. The Houston Astros had an early 5-0 lead and Justin Verlander was pitching a gem. It looked like they were going to cruise to an easy Game 1 victory but the Philadelphia Phillies quickly tied it up and then we were treated to a bullpen dual until Philadelphia’s J.T. Realmuto untied the game in the 10th inning with a solo home run that ended up being the game-winner. The Phillies won 6-5 and guaranteed themselves at least a split here in Minute Maid Park to start the series.
This is how the Phillies got this far. In every series this offseason, their opponents were supposed to easily win. Instead, Philadelphia has acted as the ultimate disrupter, winning games and, to this point, series because they simply don’t think about how big the odds stacked against them are.
Until yesterday, the Astros hadn’t even lost a game in the entire postseason. Now they find themselves having to deal with their first setback at the most inopportune time. So now it’s Houston on the ropes. The superior team on paper, the Astros still can’t afford to fall behind 0-2 in this World Series, especially with the series moving to Philadelphia for Game 3. The Phillies are putting co-ace Zack Wheeler on the mound while the Astros will start All-Star Framber Valdez. Maybe this will be the pitching duel that we didn’t get on Friday.
As always, we’ll be taking your thoughts and comments throughout today’s game. You can email us at [email protected] or tweet us at @HunterFelt and we’ll post them for all to see. It’s Game 2 of the 2022 World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Again, we’re scheduled to start at 8:03 pm EST but we’ll be back blogging well before that.
Prelude
Hunter will be here shortly. In the meantime here’s a look back at Philadelphia’s shock win over Houston in Friday night’s Game 1.
