The Philadelphia Phillies recovered from a 5-0 deficit against the Houston Astros in the third innings to take the first game of the 2022 World Series 6-5 on Friday night at Minute Maid Park.
The National League champions went scoreless in the first three innings as Kyle Tucker hit two home runs for the Astros, and the Phillies had no answer to the prowess of Justin Verlander.
The Phillies began to reduce the deficit in the fourth courtesy of Nick Castellanos's RBI single and a two-RBI double for Alec Bohm before levelling the contest at the halfway point.
J. T. Realmuto's double allowed Brandon Marsh and Kyle Schwarber to score in the fifth inning as the Phillies dug deep and got back to 5-5, and Castellanos would prove the hero of the hour for Rob Thomson's side in the ninth inning.
With two out for the Astros and Jose Altuva in scoring position at second, Castellanos's remarkable sliding catch from Jeremy Pena ensured that the game would go the distance after a scoreless four innings.
Realmuto hit a homer off Luis Garcia in the 10th inning to hand the Phillies a slender advantage, and Aledmys Diaz was then grounded out by David Robertson to secure a terrific opening win for the Philadelphia outfit.
Ben Knapton
