The Philadelphia Phillies defied the odds and came back after falling behind by five points to claim a stunning comeback win over favorites Houston Astros, 6-5, in 10 innings in Game 1 of the 2022 World Series on Friday.
The Phillies hold a 1-0 lead in the series ahead of Saturday’s action in Houston.
Here are my keys to both teams’ victory in Race 2 (8:03 pm, FOX and the FOX Sports app):
Astros
Houston goes the way his left-handed slacker does. Alvarez has been one of baseball’s best hitters this season, especially when the Astros win, and they win a lot. During the playoffs, he’s hitting .349 with .450 OBP, .718 slugging, and 1,168 OPS. But in losses, including Friday night, Alvarez’s rate stats are dramatically down across the board: .195 average, .297 OBP, .352 SLG, .649 OPS.
After opening the postseason on fire, scoring in Houston’s first two games and leading in seven runs, Alvarez went 3 of 25 with 10 strikeouts. On the same subject : These are the best fantasy video games to scratch your LOTR itch.
Framber Valdez continues the quality begins
Pitcher Astros led the American League with 26 quality starts, including a streak of 25 straight wins to set an MLB record. MLB’s previous record of 24 consecutive quality starts was set by New York Mets right-handed Jacob deGrom in 2018. Valdez also led baseball in quality start percentage (83.9%, minimum 10 starts).
World Series: Astros and Phillies’ keys to a World Series Game 2 victory
World Series: Astros’ and Phillies’ keys to a World Series Game 2 victory
Ben Verlander and Alex Curry analyze the keys to Game 2 of the World Series. The keys to the Astros involve a large contribution from Yordan Alvarez and Framber Valdez, the Phillies include a workhorse that starts with Zack Wheeler and capitalizes at the top of the strike zone.
Phillies
Zack Wheeler goes deeper than Aaron Nola To see also : Amazon Prime Video signs content deal with HBO Max.
Wheeler is 9-3 when his start lasts more than six innings this season for the Phillies, including the postseason and the regular season. It is 2-0 in the playoffs.
Wheeler is 8-10 when his start is six innings or less, including the postseason and regular season. It’s 1-1 in the playoffs.
Forces Valdez to raise his curve in the area
Valdez set the MLB record for the most curved ball puffs in a game with 16 in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series. During the regular season, Valdez had the fourth best curveball in baseball in terms of running value, with an odor rate of 45.5% on the pitch. When Valdez is on top of the zone, the batters have an exit speed of 96.5, which is the highest for him of any part of the strike zone.
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