Historically, when the road team wins the first 2 games of a best-of-7 series with this 2-3-2 format, as the Phillies had a chance to do, it wins the series 88% of the time.

But when the home team gets even in Game 2, as the Astros did, it wins the series 60.5% of the time.

What we learned from last night:

Teams that fall behind, 5-0 or worse, in World Series games are 5-111 all-time.

What are the odds of any team winning 2 games in a row like that?

Seems hard to do!

Jose Altuve, Jeremy Pena, and Yordan Alvarez are the first teammates in World Series history to lead off a game with three consecutive doubles.

The last time there were even two was Barry Larkin and Billy Hatcher of the Reds in Game 2 of the 1990 World Series.

#WorldSeries

Astros' first 5 batters tonight:

- 103.8 mph double
- 100.4 mph double
- 97.5 mph double
- 99.7 mph groundout
- 97.6 mph flyout

Zack Wheeler had allowed only 4 hard-hit balls in the 1st inning in his first 4 postseason starts COMBINED.

Think the Astros were in swing mode against Wheeler?

They swung at the first 5 pitches, 6 of the first 7 and 7 of the first 9.

“Unless he’s missing an arm, that guy is in the game and he’s going to be grinding out all nine innings, or plus.”

Fantastic look at JT Realmuto from Ken

“The Astros are inevitable, and this World Series is supposed to be their validation for assembling an efficient machine. The Phillies are a beautiful, chaotic mess that crashed the party already three drinks deep”

If you’re not reading Matt Gelb you’re missing something special

It's a Game 1 edition of Weird & Wild:

*A word for that Phillies comeback: 'impossible'
*Crazy numbers on Verlander & 5-run leads
*Realmuto channels his inner Fisk/Dykstra/Unser
*Astros oust 2 Yankees from the history books
So much more!
theathletic.com/3741784/2022/1…

I haven’t read every story about the amazing game G1 win by the Phillies. However, I am confident that no article will top this one by the incomparable ⁦⁦Jayson Stark⁩
Here’s your must read. World Series Game 1 Weird & Wild

via The Athletic theathletic.com/3741784/2022/1…

It's a Game 1 edition of Weird & Wild:

*A word for that Phillies comeback: 'impossible'
*Crazy numbers on Verlander & 5-run leads
*Realmuto channels his inner Fisk/Dykstra/Unser
*Astros oust 2 Yankees from the history books
So much more!
theathletic.com/3741784/2022/1…

Phillies 6, Astros 5 (F/10). They will talk about this game forever. The Phillies were down five runs against a future Hall of Fame pitcher and they won it. Rob Thomson managed his bullpen with aggression and it worked.

Extra-inning HR in Game 1 of a World Series:

1946, Rudy York vs. Cardinals
1954, Dusty Rhodes vs. Indians
2022, JT Realmuto vs. Astros

Catchers to hit a #WorldSeries home run in extra innings since 1903:

Hank Gowdy
Tim McCarver
Carlton Fisk
JT Realmuto

Philadelphia Phillies | #RingTheBell
stathead.com/tiny/oRZzd

J.T. Realmuto is the first catcher with an extra inning home run in the World Series since Carlton Fisk's walkoff in Game 6 of the 1975 Series.

All the Phillies and Astros do in the postseason is play extra-inning games.

Wait. What decade is this?

We're tied in Game 1, heading to the 9th.

Here's what's at stake:

In the 27 World Series Game 1's since Joe Carter's HR landed, only 5 Game 1 losers have come back to win the Series (18.5 pct).

One of those five: The 2017 Astros.
One of the five who lost: The 2009 Phillies

The team with the first steal in each of the last five World Series -- the team with the 'Taco Hero' that is -- has won it all.

Phillies have 5 hits this postseason on pitches 1.2 feet high or lower

No other team has more than 2 this postseason.

Astros only have 1