In the first inning it looked like Game 5 would be a game of chaos with lots of runs and lots of craziness, but that chaos game never materialized. Game 5 became a quasi-pitchers duel with plenty of traffic and missed opportunities on both sides. The two teams went a combined 2-18 with runners in scoring position. Here are some takeaways from Game 5 with a quick look at Game 6.

1. There was a huge momentum swing in the first inning

If you believe in momentum in sports, the first inning was a huge swing in Game 1. Jose Altuve led off Game 5 with a double and ended up at third base on Brandon Marsh’s error. The next batter, Jeremy Peña, drove him in with a tying infield single to give the Astros a 1-0 lead. The Phillies had the infield in the first inning! You don’t see that often.
Two hits into the game, it was clear Noah Syndergaard wasn’t going to be out there much longer. He drove in a full count to Yordan Alvarez and the Astros got Peña to run on the 3-2 pitch. Alvarez was caught on a fastball and JT Realmuto threw out Peña for the loss-killing rally, throw them a double play. This shot was picture perfect:
If Alvarez had taken the high fastball, the Astros have runners on first and second with no outs, and Syndergaard is on the ropes. Instead, the bases were empty with two outs and Syndergaard had new life. He struck out Alex Bregman to end the inning, and Kyle Schwarber picked up his pitcher with a second-pitch leadoff homer in the bottom of the first.
Schwarber’s first homer was the 26th in World Series history and the first ever by a Phillie. It was also Schwarber’s third career shutout after the first season, tying Jimmy Rollins and Hall of Famer Derek Jeter for the most in history. He’s one of the best fastball hitters in the game, and he was ready for Justin Verlander’s elevated heater there.
Thanks to Schwarber’s double play and homer, the Astros overcame a 1-0 lead and threatened to put a crooked number on the board in a 1-1 tie through six pitches. Let’s look at some basic winning odds:

Alvarez takes Ball 4 (runners on first and second, no outs): Phillies have 34.6 percent chance to win Game 5 After you hit them, throw them a double play: The Phillies have a 47.3 percent chance to win Game 5 After Schwarber’s game-tying homer: Phillies have 59.4 percent chance to win Game 5

That’s a huge swing in win odds, especially in such a short amount of time (three batters and six pitches). The Phillies went on to lose Game 5 anyway, but that first inning prevented Houston from blowing it away early. The game remained close and competitive until the final pitch thanks in large part to Schwarber’s double play and homer in the first inning.

2. Houston’s hitless streak ended

The Phillies were hitless by Cristian Javier and three Astros relievers in Game 4. Since the sixth inning of Game 3, Philadelphia’s offense had gone 11 consecutive hitless innings, which featured a World Series record 0-for-36 stretch. No team had ever walked more batters between hits in the Fall Classic.
It didn’t take long for the Phillies to get in the hit column in Game 2. Schwarber sent Verlander’s second pitch into the right field seats for a leadoff homer and Philadelphia’s first hit since Rhys Hoskins picked off Lance McCullers Jr deep into Game 5. The 0 for 36 streak is over. Houston’s 11-inning hitting streak tied the 1939 Yankees for the longest in World Series history.

3. Peña keeps hitting

The first RBI single gave Peña a hit in all five World Series games (and a six-game hitting streak dating back to the ALCS) and he added to his World Series hit total with a fourth-inning go-ahead homer. He drove Syndergaard’s 44th and final pitch over the left field wall to give the Astros a 2-1 lead. This didn’t seem to be off the bat, but it did:
Peña is the first fledgling stop ever — ever! — to homer in the World Series. The home run was Peña’s ninth extra-base hit this October (five doubles and four homers), the third most by a rookie in a single season. Only Randy Arozarena (14 in 20 games in 2020) and Yuli Gurriel (10 in 18 games in 2017) had more extra base hits as a rookie in a postseason.
In the eighth inning, Peña helped give the Astros an insurance run with a single to right in a manual hit-and-run. He went 3-for-4 in Game 5 and is 8-for-21 (.381) in the World Series overall. There’s still at least one more game to play, but at this point Peña is as good a choice for World Series MVP as anyone. And that’s after winning the ALCS MVP, remember.

4. Verlander finally won the World Series

No pitcher in history had started more World Series games without recording a win than Verlander. Entering Game 5, he was 0-6 with a 6.07 ERA in eight career World Series games, including going 5-0 in Game 1 of that series. It wasn’t easy, but Verlander finally got his first World Series win in Game 5. Actually, it wasn’t just Verlander’s first World Series win. It was the first time he walked out of a World Series game with a lead, if you can believe that.
“Oh yeah, I got a lot of confidence. I mean, this guy’s had a great career and it’s not over yet,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said of Verlander before Game 5. “… We’ve got full confidence in Justin. Everyone’s wondering, is he on a short leash? I mean, no, he’s not on a leash at all. I mean, it’s Justin Verlander. Nobody can get out of trouble better than him. I’ve seen it over and over and over, and I hope he doesn’t get in trouble and I just hope it’s Verlander.”
The Phillies had their chances against Verlander early in Game 5. After Schwarber hit his first homer, the Phillies stranded a runner on first base in the first inning, left the bases loaded in the second, then left runners on first and second to third. Six runners were stranded in the first three innings. You can’t let Verlander go like that and expect to win. Hoskins, Bryson Stott and Nick Castellanos finished the innings with ducks on the lake.
Five of the first 10 batters Verlander faced reached base, then he settled down and retired 10 of the last 13 batters he faced to get through five innings. Verlander walked four, his most in a game since June 2019, and Schwarber’s home run was his 10th allowed in the World Series. This is the most ever. But a win is a win, and Verlander now has one in the World Series.
Also, Verlander’s career 6.07 ERA entering Game 5 was the highest in World Series history (min. 30 innings). He cut that to a 5.63 ERA with one run in five innings Thursday night and is no longer atop the leaderboard. Carl Erskine’s 5.83 ERA is again the highest in World Series history. This is not a statistic you want to lead. Verlander left the leadoff spot and got the win in Game 5.

5. The Phillies couldn’t get The Big Hit. Astros Got The Big Play(s)

The Phillies had scoring chances in Game 5 and not just against Verlander. They put 10 runners on base in the first seven innings, but scored just one run on Schwarber’s homer. Philadelphia’s best chance to break through came in the eighth, when he plated Rafael Montero with two outs and Jean Segura drove in a run with a single to right to put the Phillies up 3-2.
Segura’s single snapped his team’s 0-for-20 streak with runners in scoring position dating back to Game 1. That’s the third-longest hitless streak with runners in scoring position in World Series history. Only the 1966 Dodgers and 1980 Royals (both 0 for 22) had longer streaks. Given that and the fact that the Astros went 5-0 in three of the first four games, it’s a wonder the series is so competitive.
Segura’s single put the Phillies with runners on the corners and one out, prompting Baker to ground out to closer Ryan Pressly. Pressly quickly struck out Marsh on three pitches, then Trey Mancini saved the game with a great stab at Schwarber’s hard-hit grounder to first base. If this is done by Mancini, it will likely score two runs and give the Phillies a 4-3 lead.
Schwarber and Bryce Harper are a combined 8-for-23 (.348) with three homers and nine walks in the World Series. On the other end of the spectrum Hoskins, Realmuto and Castellanos are a combined 9 for 62 (.145) with 28 strikeouts. You’re not going to win a lot of games, let alone beat a team as good as the Astros, with three of your biggest bats doing it. In fairness to Realmuto, he was robbed of extra bases by Chas McCormick in the ninth inning of Game 5. That was a tremendous hit: The thing is, the Phillies beat McCullers for five homers in less than five innings in Game 3, and since then they’ve scored just two runs in 21 offensive innings. It’s pretty simple, either the Phillies’ bats wake up in Game 6, or they’ll lose the series….