ESPN staff
The Houston Astros made World Series history on Wednesday night, pitching a combined no-hitter in a dominant 5-0 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. Considering Philly’s Game 3 home barrage, this was extremely impressive. The series is now tied 2-2 and the Phillies have one more game at home before returning to Houston where the World Series will be decided. Here are the highlights and highlights from Game 4.
Game 4 in a pack
Don Larsen no longer owns the only no-hitter in World Series history. The Astros combined to no-hit the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 4, overcoming six dominant innings from Cristian Javier and a combined relief effort from Bryan Abreu, Rafael Montero and Ryan Pressly. The Phillies only managed two base runners, Bryce Harper and Brandon Marsh, who each walked Javier. Javier finished the night with six innings while striking out nine batters, throwing 97 pitches and 63 for strikes, relying on a combination of a four-seam fastball and a slider. That’s the 19th combined no-hitter in MLB history and the first in the playoffs, according to ESPN Stats and Information. The Astros had their last combined regular-season shutout on June 25 of this season against the New York Yankees — Javier also started that game. Going back to Game 3, they have now thrown 11 consecutive hitless innings, tying the 1939 Yankees for the longest postseason streak ever. Meanwhile, the Astros offense came alive after being shut out in Game 3. Houston scored all five runs without the long ball, with Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman, Kyle Tucker and Yuli Gurriel collecting RBIs. Phillies starter Aaron Nola looked strong through the first four innings, but made a few mistakes in the fifth, when Houston scored all of its runs. Nola finished the night with an unusual line, going four innings allowing three runs on seven hits while striking out four. — Jun Li
Javier’s big night
Pure dominance. Absolute dirt. The Phillies had no answer against Houston Astros first baseman Cristian Javier, who held a Philadelphia no-hitter during his six stints on the mound in Game 4. Javier finished the night after throwing 97 pitches, striking out nine batters while he was walking two. The World Series start marked the continuation of an incredible postseason for Javier, who entered the night allowing just one run in 6 2/3 innings over two appearances in the American League Division and the Championship Series. Javier relied primarily on his fastball and slider throughout the night, throwing his four 72% of the time and his slider 26%. The Phillies struggled to generate hard contact all night, with just two balls hit over 90 mph, both on grounders in the sixth by Brandon Marsh and Kyle Schwarber. The offensive struggles for Philadelphia were in stark contrast to their performance in Game 3, when they scored seven runs on five brands. To replace Javier, Astros manager Dusty Baker brought in Brian Abreu, who continued the no-hitter bid with a scoreless seventh, striking out the side. — Lee It’s that jaw. pic.twitter.com/EL4uFHD56W — Houston Astros (@astros) November 3, 2022
Houston is heating up
Phillies starter Aaron Nola held the Astros scoreless through four innings, but in the fifth inning, the shutout was broken. Houston scored five runs in the fifth, taking a 5-0 lead with Astros starter Christian Javier pitching a four-inning no-hitter. Keep fighting. pic.twitter.com/FpNFS95cug — Houston Astros (@astros) November 3, 2022 We have 5 in it. pic.twitter.com/CEKGTOwque — Houston Astros (@astros) November 3, 2022 The onslaught started with a single by Nola’s Chas McCormick followed by two more singles by Astros second baseman Jose Altuve and shortstop Jeremy Pena. With the bases loaded and no outs, Phillies manager Rob Thomson removed Nola from the game, bringing in lefty reliever Jose Alvarado. But Alvarado immediately got off to a rough start, hitting Yordan Alvarez with a pitch, scoring McCormick to give Houston its first run of the night. Things got worse from there for Philadelphia as Astros third baseman Alex Bregman hit a double to right field, scoring Altuve and Pena and extending Houston’s lead to 3-0. With both inherited runners scoring, Nola’s final line was four innings with three earned runs on seven hits, no walks and four strikeouts. But the damage didn’t stop with Bregman. Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker hit a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Alvarez and moving Bregman to third base. Yuli Gurriel kept the offense going, hitting a single into left field to score Bregman and extend Houston’s lead to 5-0. While Alvarado struck out Christian Vázquez and Aldemys Díaz to end the inning, the damage was done. — Jun Li
Jayme Hoskins buys more beer for fans
The beer is owned by the Hoskins family. Before Game 4 of the World Series, Jayme Hoskins — wife of Phillies first baseman Rhys — asked fans to meet her for a beer at Citizens Bank Park. if you know anything about baseball and it’s quirky then you know where the beers will be — jayme (@jaymehoskins) November 2, 2022 The fans responded by meeting Hoskins and getting some drinks for the game. The move by Hoskins followed Game 3 when he bought a case of 50 beers for fans. — Lee
Fashion before the game
Ready for work pic.twitter.com/YurcI0908i — Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) November 2, 2022 Hey guys 👋 pic.twitter.com/i0Sg6Tvwup — Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) November 2, 2022
