PHILADELPHIA — For a guy who did not pitch well, Justin Verlander sure pitched well.
The Cooperstown-bound veteran was persistently in trouble in World Series Game 5. Yet, the only run he allowed in five innings came off of his second pitch. He followed a masterpiece — Houston’s four-pitcher no-hitter 24 hours earlier — with a master class. In navigating his own Fall Classic misery, lack of familiar pinpoint control and constant base traffic.
“He fought,” his catcher, Martin Maldonado said.
Verlander was not vintage. He recognized early — the first clue being Kyle Schwarber’s homer — that the Phillies were hunting his fastball. Steadily, he found his slider. But not quick enough to dominate and get deep into the game. But long enough for 15 outs and to line up Dusty Baker to deploy an overpowering bullpen to its best usage. It was enough to give the Astros a stronghold on the 118th World Series.
“I don’t think JV would want it any other way,” Houston third baseman Alex Bregman said. “He had to make big pitch after big pitch. That’s Justin Verlander.”
For the first time in nine World Series starts, Verlander earned a win. The “win” does not hold the allure that it once did. Still, to not have one while sporting the worst ERA (6.07) for any of 99 pitchers who had reached 30 Fall Classic innings stood out as the dent on the door of an Aston Martin career.
Justin Verlander celebrates after recording the final out in the fifth inning of the Astros’ 3-2 Game 5 win over the Phillies.AP But he overcame Schwarber’s homer leading off the bottom of the first that tied the score 1-1. And four walks — as many as he registered in his final five regular-season outings covering 32 innings. And runners in scoring position in three of his five innings. And his personal World Series history. And 45,693 loud, red-clad partisans. And no margin for error. All to help the Astros win 3-2 and head home with a three games to two series lead.
If the Astros win one of the next two games, they will have won two titles since Verlander’s August 2017 arrival — that season’s championship tainted by the sign-stealing scandal and this year’s. This one, though, comes with one brilliant Astro arm after another. Most are young like Cristian Javier, who delivered the first six innings of the no-hitter Wednesday; Framber Valdez, who will start the potential Game 6 clincher Saturday; and Bryan Abreu, who is up to 10 ¹/₃ shutout innings this postseason out of the pen.
Still, the leader is Verlander, the favorite to capture his third AL Cy Young. In his age-39 season. After missing most of the previous two seasons following Tommy John surgery. Nevertheless, there is wear and tear on an older pitching body journeying into November off of so little work in 2020-21. And the mental strain of the great pitcher toting that giant World Series blemish.
Justin Verlander hugs Chas McCormick after the Astros’ Game 5 win.Getty ImagesAnd then on Verlander’s second pitch, Schwarber went deep to right to counter the run the Astros scored in the top of the first against Noah Syndergaard. At that moment, Verlander had surrendered 13 runs on 20 hits in 15 innings this postseason. The Citizens Bank Park throng was at full volume. Verlander escaped a bases-loaded jam in the second and first and third in the third. He then locked in with his slider to go 1-2-3 in the fourth and bridge the final two outs that inning and the first two in the fifth with strikeouts. But then Bryce Harper doubled. Hector Neris was warming.
If Neris enters, Verlander does not have the requisite five innings for a win. That would be World Series start No. 9 without one.
Justin VerlanderUPI“Yeah, that is in my heart,” Baker admitted. “It was on my mind.” But so was the tying run being in scoring position. Nevertheless, “He’s been one of the best of getting out of trouble and, to me, that was his game. Like I’ve said many times, he’s our ace, and it’s hard to pull your ace because that’s why he’s the ace. Who can you bring in? I mean, we got a great bullpen, but who can you bring in that’s better than the guy that’s out there in Verlander?”
Verlander conceded it was on his mind, too, and Nick Castellanos forced the great righty to empty his tank, waging a 10-pitch battle that Verlander won when Castellanos flied out to keep Houston ahead 2-1.
Verlander and the Astros would have to sweat to the finish, aided by a leaping catch smashing into the fence by center fielder Chas McCormick, robbing J.T. Realmuto of at least a one-out double in the ninth. Ryan Pressly finished to assure that the Astros would be one win from a championship and Verlander would have the first World Series win of his career.
When asked what it meant to remove this blemish, Verlander said, “I can say I got one.”
