Major League Baseball

2022 World Series: Ben Verlander's seven takeaways from Phillies' Game 1 win

Updated Oct. 29, 2022 4:16 a.m. ET

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Ben Verlander

FOX Sports MLB Analyst

HOUSTON — If Game 1 is any indication, the 2022 World Series is going to be an absolute classic.

After falling behind 5-0, the Philadelphia Phillies did what they've done all postseason long: They defied the odds and roared back to claim an improbable 6-5 victory over the favored Houston Astros in 10 innings.

The Phillies became the first team in two decades to overcome a five-run deficit in a World Series game, and in doing so, they served notice that the result here is no foregone conclusion.

Let's get to my seven takeaways from Philadelphia's victory:

1. The Phillies became the first No. 6 seed to win a World Series game.

Yes, Philadelphia is the National League's first No. 6 seed in postseason history — but this fully justifies the new playoff format. The Phillies absolutely deserve to be here, and this team has star power.

A sixth seed that's shining

Ben Verlander and Alex Curry break down how the sixth-seeded Phillies rallied to hand the Astros their first loss of the 2022 postseason.

Yes, those stars stepped up Friday night. But it also was the guys around those stars who delivered. Their supporting cast was great. 

Remember, this is a sixth seed that went down to the wire to get into the playoffs, qualifying in the last series of the season in Houston. And this No. 6 seed handed the top-seeded Astros their first loss of the 2022 playoffs in incredible fashion.

In talking to the Phillies before this series, they all mentioned how this team just keeps fighting. Never was that more true than Friday night. They were down 5-0 early. They were going against the potential AL Cy Young Award winner in Justin Verlander. The odds were certainly not in their favor to come back, but they did.

They got punched in the face and they just kept fighting, with it ultimately resulting in the biggest postseason comeback in Phillies franchise history. Their ability to get back into games is truly impressive to watch.

Philadelphia is now 4-0 in Game 1s in this postseason, and Game 1 winners have gone on to win the series 65 percent of the time in the World Series.

2. J.T. Realmuto was the star of Game 1.

The Phillies catcher not only hit the game-winning homer in the top of the 10th, but he also had the game-tying hit in the fifth inning. 

Everyone is going to talk about the big home run, but we're not even in that position if not for his two-run double in the fifth.

"That's a Phillies win right there"

Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto talks about his game-winning home run in Game 1 of the World Series.

Look, Realmuto is the best catcher in the game of baseball. He has proved that in the postseason with a string of timely hits and huge moments. The guy is also the fastest catcher in baseball, having posted a season with 22 homers and 21 stolen bases.

But those are the highlights you see. We don't talk enough about how good he is behind the plate and how good he is at calling a game. And how good he is at throwing out runners. This guy simply does it all.

3. The Phillies solved Justin Verlander.

After a perfect first three innings, this night definitely didn't go as planned for my brother. It was a difficult outing, and the Phillies got to him after that first turn through the order.

He made some mistakes, but you give all the credit to the Phillies lineup. Their resiliency was incredible.

With a 5-0 lead and the potential AL Cy Young winner on the mound, Houston has to win this game. When you've got your guy on the mound, you need to get it done.  

I noticed a few things: First, the Phillies did a great job the second time through the lineup of making adjustments. Justin was pitching certain guys certain ways throughout the game. 

I noticed it immediately to Bryce Harper, who came in as the hottest hitter in the game. Justin's game plan was hard heaters, up in the zone. It worked the first time through. That changed early in this game.

I also thought the Astros pitched a little differently the second time through the Phillies lineup. Justin went to some secondary stuff, and it didn't work.

But kudos to this Phillies lineup.

4. Philadelphia's supporting cast shines.

Harper had a good game, but you don't look back on this game and remember what Bryce Harper did.

It was the supporting cast, and everybody else. Alec Bohm, hitting in the No. 5 spot, drove in a pair of runs with that huge double down the line. He also played a strong defensive game at third base, saving multiple runs. Without Bohm's defense, we might be talking about a different game.

Nick Castellanos laced a big hit to keep a rally going, and Brandon Marsh had an opposite-field double through the shift. 

Nick Castellanos' catch sets up winning HR

Phillies right fielder Nick Castellanos makes a sliding catch to send the game to extra innings, setting the stage for J.T. Realmuto to win it.

This team doesn't quit, and it's not just the stars who keep coming at you. They have so many other ways to beat you.

Plus, don't forget Castellanos' catch in the ninth inning — if he doesn't make that amazing, diving grab of Jeremy Peña's blooper down the line, this game is over.

5. Let's appreciate what Kyle Tucker did.

The Houston right fielder became the first Astros player to have a multi-homer game in the World Series. 

He was red-hot, and he did it in his first two at-bats, joining Atlanta's Andruw Jones (1996) as the first player to go deep in his first two at-bats in a World Series.

Kyle Tucker smashes his second homer

Kyle Tucker was a one-man show early, blasting two homers to stake the Astros to a 5-0 lead in the third inning.

When you mention the Astros, people immediately think about Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman or Yordan Alvarez. It seems like Kyle Tucker is almost mentioned as an afterthought. 

Tucker is hitting in the No. 5 hole for this team, and he continues to be one of the most underrated players in baseball. 

He single-handedly got Houston out to a 5-0 lead on the game's biggest stage.

6. Bullpen management was critical.

Neither Verlander nor Aaron Nola went as deep as expected, so this turned into a bullpen game. This will have a big impact on Saturday night's game.

How bullpen management will affect the rest of the series

Ben Verlander explains how the bullpen decisions in Game 1 will affect the rest of the World Series.  

Now, if you're Philadelphia, you have your ace, Zack Wheeler, on the mound in Game 2. You're thinking about a chance to potentially seize total control of the series before it shifts back to Philly.

So, you go from thinking, "The Astros are the No. 1 seed, and they haven't lost in the playoffs," to potentially thinking about stealing both games in Houston.

I thought Dusty Baker made a mistake Friday night, and it's the first time in these playoffs that he has made a move that I really questioned. Bringing in Luis Garcia in the 10th — obviously hindsight is 20/20 — but I didn't love it in the moment, and here's why: Garcia was a great starter for the Astros this year, and he was great in that 18-inning win over the Mariners in the ALDS. But Garcia is a long-inning relief guy.

The Astros had Ryne Stanek, who had a 1.15 ERA in 54.2 innings pitched, ready to go. I thought Dusty should have gone to Stanek there, because he's more of a one-inning shutdown guy.

On the other side, I thought Phillies manager Rob Thomson did a great job managing his pen, getting 5.2 scoreless innings out of his relievers. In particular, the call to use Ranger Suarez to get out Alvarez in a high-leverage spot was absolutely critical.

It was a chess match, and I thought Thomson did a masterful job and won that chess match.

7. Kyle Schwarber steals a base … and a taco.

We know him for his power, but don't discount Schwarber's speed, either.

Thanks to Schwarber's steal of second base two outs in the seventh inning, everyone in America can now go get a free taco at Taco Bell.

We certainly didn't expect this promotion to land via Schwarber. But he's a legend now.

Ben Verlander is an MLB Analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the "Flippin' Bats" podcast. Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Verlander was an All-American at Old Dominion University before he joined his brother, Justin, in Detroit as a 14th-round pick of the Tigers in 2013. He spent five years in the Tigers organization. Follow him on Twitter @BenVerlander.

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