Game 1 of the World Series between the Phillies and Astros was packed with wild moments, especially in the late innings. In the bottom of the ninth with the game tied at five, José Altuve blooped a single that dropped in front of Brandon Marsh due to the Phillies playing no-doubles defense. Altuve didn’t hustle out of the box, thinking it would be caught, and only ended up on first. He made up for it by stealing second in a play so close it took multiple angles and frame-by-frame analysis to confirm he was safe. That aggressive baserunning forced the Phillies out of no-doubles mode and into a defense geared to stop the winning run from scoring.
The shift paid off when a soft liner to right looked like trouble, but Nick Castellanos made a key catch thanks to having moved in earlier. The game went to the 10th, and J.T. Realmuto led off with a clutch home run to give the Phillies the lead. David Robertson came on to close and faced the Astros’ toughest bats. He danced around damage despite Alex Bregman doubling and Kyle Tucker threatening to tie or win the game. Robertson fooled Tucker with a curveball after some deceptive pitch sequencing. Then Yuli Gurriel and Aledmys Díaz came up with the tying run on third. Díaz tried to lean into a pitch to force a hit-by-pitch but was denied by the umpire. He got one more chance, swung over a curveball on 3-1, then grounded out to end the game.
The Phillies held on 6-5 in what was maybe the most dramatic and detail-heavy game of the season. Small decisions, from defensive positioning to pitch selection, piled up into a tense, unforgettable finish.