Astros' Alex Bregman Thinks He Suffered Broken Finger Injury in World Series Game 6
Nov 6, 2022
HOUSTON, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 02: Alex Bregman #2 of the Houston Astros reacts after striking out against the Atlanta Braves during the fifth inning in Game Six of the World Series at Minute Maid Park on November 02, 2021 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Houston Astros star Alex Bregman believes he suffered a broken finger during Game 6 of the World Series on Saturday night at Minute Maid Park.
He believes he suffered the aliment on a slide into second base during the eighth inning.
Alex Bregman thinks he broke his finger on the slide into second in the eighth. “I can’t really bend it, so I’m glad we won.” pic.twitter.com/QvvwjKIYgI
Bregman put together a solid 2022 campaign, hitting .259 with 23 home runs and 93 RBI in 155 regular-season games. He followed that up by hitting .294 with three home runs and 11 RBI in 13 postseason games.
The third baseman has been pretty durable over his seven-year career. However, he appeared in just 91 games during the 2021 season and missed two months with a strained left quadriceps.
Bregman has been a staple in the Astros' lineup since 2016, and he agreed to a five-year, $100 million contract in 2019. He finished the 2019 campaign second in American League MVP voting and earned his first-ever Silver Slugger award after slashing .296/.423/.592 with 41 home runs and 112 RBI in 156 games.
Since 2019, Bregman's numbers haven't been as good. However, he still hit .270/.355/.422 with 12 home runs and 55 RBI in 91 games during the 2021 season, in addition to putting together a respectable 2022 season.
When healthy, Bregman serves as Houston's starting third baseman. Right now, it's unclear if he'll be available for the start of the 2023 campaign. However, since he's just believed to have a broken finger and nothing major, he'll likely be ready to suit up.
Barry Bonds Congratulates Dusty Baker on Winning 1st World Series with Astros
Nov 6, 2022
Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker Jr. and the Houston Astros celebrate their 4-1 World Series win against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 6 on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
MLB home run king Barry Bonds congratulated Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker after his team won the World Series with a 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday to cap a 4-2 series win.
Baker played in the major leagues from 1968-1986, and he won one World Series in 1981 as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
He's enjoyed a tremendous 25-year career as a manager with the San Francisco Giants, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs, Washington Nationals and Giants, making the playoffs 12 times and winning at all stops.
However, a World Series win as a manager evaded Baker until 2022. That dry spell is now long over, though, as one of the most well-respected figures in all of baseball got his well-deserved trophy.
Bonds played under Baker on the Giants from 1993-2002. They knocked on the door of postseason success but ultimately fell short.
The Giants won 103 games in 1993 but missed out on the playoffs in the pre-wild card era (despite having MLB's second-best record) because the 104-win Atlanta Braves won the National League West.
San Francisco did win the National League West in 1997 and 2000 but lost in the Division Series each year.
Baker and Bonds finally led the Giants to the the World Series together in 2002 but ultimately fell to the Los Angeles Angels in seven games.
Baker returned to the World Series with the Astros last year, but Houston fell to the Atlanta Braves in six games. This time around, Houston won in six to catapult Baker atop the baseball world to end 2022.
Mattress Mack Wins Record-Breaking $75M After Astros Win 2022 World Series
Nov 6, 2022
Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale, of Houston, holds some of the tickets in Atlantic City N.J., Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022, showing bets he has made on the Houston Astros to win the baseball World Series. A prolific gambler with a knack for attention-getting bets stands to win nearly $75 million if the Houston Astros win the World Series, including what sports books say would be the largest payout on a single legal sports bet in U.S. history. McIngvale has wagered a total of $10 million with numerous sports books on an Astros victory. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)
The Houston Astros defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 in Game 6 of the World Series on Saturday at Minute Maid Park, and Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale just won a fortune because of the title win.
The Houston mattress and furniture businessman is now the biggest winner in sports gambling history after winning $75 million on the Astros winning the World Series.
Mattress Mack placed $10 million in bets across multiple sportsbooks on the Astros to win the World Series. Per Darren Rovell of the Action Network, he placed a $3 million bet at Caesars, $1 million at WynnBet, $2 million at BetMGM, $2 million at Barstool, $1 million at Unibet and $1 million at Betfred.
In addition to winning $75 million, Mattress Mack threw out the first pitch ahead of Game 6, so he had quite the Saturday evening.
Astros' Jeremy Peña Wins 2022 World Series MVP Award
Nov 6, 2022
Houston Astros' Jeremy Pena celebrates his single during the sixth inning in Game 6 of baseball's World Series between the Houston Astros and the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña became the first rookie position player to win the Willie Mays World Series MVP award after leading his team to the Fall Classic title over the Philadelphia Phillies, four games to two.
In Game 2, Peña hit a first-inning RBI double to give Houston a 1-0 edge en route to a 5-2 win.
In Game 4, the 25-year-old had a single and a run during the Astros' five-run fifth inning en route to a 5-0 victory.
In Game 5, he had three hits, a run and two RBI in a 3-2 victory. His two biggest hits were a first-inning RBI single and a fourth-inning solo home run.
In Game 6, the shortstop scored the game-winning run after hitting a single and scoring after Yordan Alvarez's towering three-run home run en route to the 4-1 clincher.
Peña also won the American League Championship Series MVP after hitting .353 with a pair of home runs in a four-game sweep of the New York Yankees. He is the first-ever player to win the ALCS and World Series MVP awards.
He filled big cleats this season after longtime shortstop Carlos Correa signed with the Minnesota Twins last offseason, but he excelled with 22 home runs, 63 RBI and a .715 OPS. And that was before an exemplary playoff performance that vaulted Houston to its second-ever World Series win.
Astros' Yordan Álvarez Celebrated by MLB Twitter After HR to Win World Series
Nov 6, 2022
Houston Astros' Yordan Alvarez celebrates his three-run home run during the sixth inning in Game sixth of baseball's World Series between the Houston Astros and the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, in Houston. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
The Houston Astros defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 in Game 6 of the World Series on Saturday at Minute Maid Park to capture their first championship since 2017, and star slugger Yordan Álvarez was a major factor.
With the Astros down 1-0 following a Kyle Schwarber home run in the top of the sixth inning, Álvarez responded with a three-run homer off Phillies reliever José Alvarado to put Houston on top 3-1. The 25-year-old finished with one hit in four at-bats and three RBI.
Before Saturday night, Álvarez had not hit a home run since Game 2 of the American League Division Series against the Seattle Mariners.
YORDAN ALVAREZ 3-RUN HR TO GIVE THE ASTROS A 3-1 LEAD 🤯 @BRWalkoff
Catcher Christian Vázquez drove in Houston's fourth run of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning, and Framber Valdez had an impressive performance on the mound, allowing just one run on two hits through six innings.
While it took a team effort to get the win Saturday night, Twitter praised Álvarez for his heroics more than any other player:
Yordan Alvarez is the closest thing baseball has to the magic of Big Papi. When it’s all said and done… Yordan may surpass him and papi may be the best postseason clutch hitter ever. That’s wild to think
The 2022 campaign was Álvarez's fourth in MLB. He won the Rookie of the Year award in 2019 and also earned an All-Star selection this year, but his game-winning home run in the World Series is likely one he will remember more than any of his other accolades.
Luckily for the Astros, Álvarez is locked up through the 2028 season after signing a six-year, $115 million extension in June. For what he's accomplished at such a young age, that price tag seems like a bargain.
As long as Álvarez is around, Houston should contend for many more titles in the years to come.
Report: Astros' Martín Maldonado Playing with Broken Hand Injury in World Series
Nov 6, 2022
Houston Astros catcher Martin Maldonado (15) runs after hitting an RBI-double during the second inning in Game 1 of baseball's American League Championship Series between the Houston Astros and the New York Yankees, Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Houston Astros catcher Martín Maldonado is playing the World Series with a broken hand, according to MLB Network analyst Yonder Alonso.
It's unclear when Maldonado suffered the injury, but he hasn't missed time because of it.
If Maldonado's hand is actually broken, he hasn't been slowed by it.
Entering Saturday's Game 6, Maldonado has played in four World Series games. He's hitting .231 with three hits and one RBI. He has also caught the starts of Framber Valdez and Lance McCullers Jr., and two starts by Justin Verlander.
Christian Vázquez caught Cristian Javier's start in Game 4 and would be more than ready to step in for Maldonado if needed after hitting .274 with nine home runs and 52 RBI during the regular season.
Maldonado, who has played for the Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Angels, Kansas City Royals and Chicago Cubs over his career, has played for the Astros since the 2019 campaign.
The 36-year-old had a respectable 2022 season, slashing .186/.248/.352 with 15 home runs and 45 RBI in 113 games. He also ranked second among catchers with 1,025 putouts and 49 assists.
In 11 total postseason games this year, Maldonado is hitting .222 with six hits and two RBI.
The Astros can win their second World Series title on Saturday with a win over the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 6 at Minute Maid Park in Houston. It would mark Maldonado's first title.
Astros' Yuli Gurriel Removed from World Series Roster After Suffering Knee Injury
Nov 5, 2022
Houston Astros' Yuli Gurriel reacts after his RBI-single during the fifth inning in Game 4 of baseball's World Series between the Houston Astros and the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2022, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
The Houston Astros removed first baseman Yuli Gurriel from their World Series roster after he suffered a knee injury in a 3-2 Game 5 win.
Houston replaced Gurriel with Korey Lee on its active roster, while Christian Vázquez is listed as the designated hitter for Game 6 on Saturday.
Gurriel's .347 batting average in the postseason is the best on the team, though his slugging percentage is just .368 in the World Series alone.
Trey Mancini replaced Gurriel in the eighth inning of Game 5. The 2021 Gold Glove winner got caught in a rundown in the seventh inning and fell awkwardly while inadvertently getting kneed in the head by Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins.
Yuli Gurriel was a little slow to get up after a collision with Rhys Hoskins on that run down. pic.twitter.com/dgifTQK79N
Astros manager Dusty Baker told reporters the 38-year-old "tried everything" to show he was physically ready to play, but it was clear to the team he hadn't recovered enough.
Vázquez has struggled at the plate following his midseason trade to Houston. He had a .250/.278/.308 slash line in 35 appearances, and his performance hasn't improved much in the playoffs. The veteran catcher is 3-for-14 with two RBI so far.
The Astros have the second-highest batting average across the MLB postseason, but that's a case of damning with faint praise when they're only hitting .232. Going from Gurriel to Vázquez is likely to be a blow to the offense.
2022 World Series MVP Odds: Jeremy Peña Emerges as Heavy Favorite Ahead of Game 6
Nov 4, 2022
Houston Astros' Jeremy Pena celebrates his home run during the fourth inning in Game 5 of baseball's World Series between the Houston Astros and the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña is the clear favorite to win this year's World Series MVP award based on the latest DraftKings Sportsbook odds.
The rookie sports +105 odds ($100 bet to win $105). He's followed by Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez (+700) and Houston third baseman Alex Bregman (+850).
A pair of Philadelphia Phillies in outfielders Bryce Harper (+950) and Kyle Schwarber (+1600) round out the top five.
The Astros lead the Phillies three games to two in the best-of-seven World Series thanks largely to Peña, who has eight hits in 21 at-bats for a .381 batting average. His 1.028 OPS also leads the team.
Peña has contributed in each of the Astros' three wins. His RBI double got Houston on the board first in a 5-2 win over Philadelphia in Game 2. He hit a single and later scored in the Astros' five-run fifth inning in Game 4. Finally, the Dominican Republic native went 3-for-4 with a run and two RBI in the Astros' 3-2 win in Game 5 thanks to a first-inning RBI single and a fourth-inning solo homer.
The 25-year-old played an instrumental role in helping the Astros win 106 games en route to the American League pennant by virtue of his 22 home runs, 63 RBI and .715 OPS in place of Carlos Correa, the team's longtime shortstop who left in free agency for the Minnesota Twins.
Peña and the Astros will look to finish the Phillies off Saturday in Houston for Game 6. Zack Wheeler will start for Philadelphia, and Valdez will get the ball for the Astros.
Astros' Chas McCormick Says Game 5-Saving Catch Was 'Like a Dream'
Nov 4, 2022
Chas McCormick
Houston Astros center fielder Chas
McCormick said his leaping ninth-inning catch against the Citizens
Bank Park wall to help preserve the team's 3-2 win over the
Philadelphia Phillies in Game 5 of the 2022 World Series "felt like
a dream."
McCormick robbed Phillies catcher J.T.
Realmuto of an extra-base hit for the second out of the ninth, and
closer Ryan Pressly recorded the final out two batters later to
secure the victory and a 3-2 series lead, putting Houston one victory
from a championship.
"I wanted to lay there longer,"
McCormick told reporters about laying on the field for a moment after
the highlight-reel catch. "If it were the last out, I would've
laid there all night."
The 27-year-old former Millersville
University (Pa.) standout has made a modest impact at the plate across his
first two MLB seasons, tallying a .751 OPS and 28 home runs in 227
games, but he's provided ample value for the Astros as a defender.
His 17 outs above average since the
start of the 2021 season rank in a tie for joint-ninth among all MLB
outfielders over the past two years, per FanGraphs.
McCormick explained he thought Realmuto
had delivered a game-tying homer off the bat but knew he needed to do
anything possible to make a play in case it stayed in the yard.
"Honestly, I thought he hit it out," he said. "I was going to run through a wall and catch it."
The outfielder, who grew up in the
Philly suburb of West Chester, noted the fans above him in the right
field bleachers weren't pleased with his game-changing play.
"They were upset," McCormick said. "They were really upset."
The Astros' win in Game 5 gives them
two opportunities to clinch the franchise's second World Series championship on their home field, Minute Maid Park. Their first title came in 2017.
Game 6 is scheduled for Saturday night
with an expected pitching matchup of Framber Valdez for Houston
against Zack Wheeler for Philadelphia.
If needed, a deciding Game 7 would take
place Sunday night.
Gutsy Justin Verlander Propels Astros, But What Happened to Vaunted Phillies Offense?
Nov 4, 2022
Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander throws against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning in Game 5 of baseball's World Series between the Houston Astros and the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
It wasn't another no-hitter. Or even all that pretty, really. But what mattered by the end of Thursday's game was that Justin Verlander and the Houston Astros both got a World Series win.
For the pitcher, it's a long-awaited first. For the team, it means they now need just one more to secure the Commissioner's Trophy for the second time in six years.
After ending up on the wrong side of the second no-no in World Series history in Game 4 on Wednesday, the Philadelphia Phillies at least managed to get on the board for six hits and two runs in Game 5. But the Astros did them one better in the latter category to win 3-2.
It was a "there goes that man again" affair for the Astros offense. Still fresh off winning the MVP for the American League Championship Series, Jeremy Peña became the first rookie shortstop to hit a World Series home run in the process of going 3-for-4 with two RBI.
Verlander had to work hard to limit the Phillies to a lone run through five innings, and Houston's vaunted bullpen even had some trials of its own in the final four frames. To wit, Jean Segura's run-scoring single off Rafael Montero in the eighth was the first hit off an Astros reliever with a runner in scoring position all postseason.
Yet with help from clutch defensive plays by Trey Mancini and especially a Superman-like Chas McCormick, the Astros were able to escape Philadelphia with a 3-2 series lead.
“It’s symbolic for me that my first [World Series] win was such a great team win," Verlander said afterward, via Ryan Fagan of the Sporting News.
According to MLB.com's Sarah Langs, 19 of the 24 teams that have ever been in the same position Houston is in now held on to win the series.
Verlander's Leash Was Just Long Enough
Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander celebrates the last out in the fifth inning in Game 5 of baseball's World Series between the Houston Astros and the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Who's to say exactly how many people were wondering about what kind of leash Dusty Baker was going to have on Verlander in Game 5, but their numbers were apparently great enough for the veteran manager to feel compelled to answer the question.
“Everyone is wondering if he has a short leash," Baker said, per Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. "He doesn’t have a leash at all. He’s Justin Verlander.”
Verlander's reputation obviously demanded as such. He is, after all, a surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer who's in line to win his third Cy Young Award after leading the majors with a 1.75 ERA in the regular season.
Reality, however, had been painting a different sort of picture for the 39-year-old in the playoffs.
Verlander got lit up for five-plus runs in two of his three postseason starts, including the one he made in Game 1 of the this World Series last Friday. That performance pushed his career World Series ERA to a record-high 6.07, and likewise extended what was already the longest Fall Classic winless streak to eight starts.
It took all of two pitches for Verlander to achieve still more World Series infamy on Thursday, as Kyle Schwarber made it a record 10 home runs off the right-hander in the World Series when he connected on a high fastball leading off the first inning.
The tone set by that blast didn't really let up through the first three innings. Verlander was able to keep further runs off the board, but barely as he issued four walks and got tagged for four hard-hit balls.
The leash, it seemed, needed shortening.
Baker nonetheless went with his heart and stuck with his ace, even letting him begin a third trip through the Phillies order after he retired the eighth and ninth hitters to lead off the fourth. The gambit worked, as Verlander struck out Schwarber, Rhys Hoskins and J.T. Realmuto in succession and then retired Nick Castellanos after a hard double by Bryce Harper.
One could posit that the baseball gods did Baker a solid by covering a bad decision with good results, but that would be to deny Verlander the credit for adjusting as needed.
He was leaning heavily on his fastball through the first three innings, going to it for 39 of his first 55 pitches. He shifted away from it to get the next six outs in the fourth and fifth, throwing it just 15 times out of 39 total offerings. Effectively, his slider and curveball saved the day.
The final line on Verlander: five innings, four hits, one run, four walks and six strikeouts.
That's not going to join, say, any one of his three career no-hitters as one of his best performances. Heck, it's not even his best World Series performance by the numbers.
The sheer grit of it, though, makes it worthy of a place in the general lore of Justin Verlander. He's pushing 40 and he's up over 190 innings after Tommy John surgery cost him basically all of 2020 and 2021. It's therefore hard to fault him for looking gassed throughout the playoffs, up to and including in Game 5.
Yet he got the job done anyway, and it only took everything he had.
Whither the Phillies Offense?
Philadelphia Phillies' Kyle Schwarber reacts after grounding out to end the eighth inning in Game 5 of baseball's World Series between the Houston Astros and the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Let's wind the clock back to Tuesday, at which time the Phillies offense couldn't have been any hotter.
Said offense produced five or more runs in eight of the 14 games that the club had played to that point in the postseason. That day's performance was a culmination of sorts, as the Phillies won a 7-0 rout in Game 3 with the help of a World Series record-tying five home runs.
Since the fifth inning of that game, however, the Phillies have all of seven hits and two runs.
The Phillies largely have themselves to blame for this. After striking out 33 times in the first three games of the series, they've fanned 26 times in the last two. And by the time Segura finally broke through in Game 5, they had gone 20 straight at-bats without a hit with a runner in scoring position:
Phillies are 0 for their last 20 with RISP. Haven't had a hit with runners in scoring position since Game 1.
There's more than one Phillies hitter who's just not hitting right now, but much of the blame has to come down on Hoskins and Realmuto.
They haven't been much of a bridge between Schwarber in the leadoff spot and Harper in the cleanup spot, as they're a combined 6-for-42 in the series. Though it should be noted that he was the victim of McCormick's brilliant catch in the ninth inning on Thursday, Realmuto has just one hit in 17 at-bats since he almost single-handedly won Game 1.
The Astros have had to work harder to keep Harper in check, but what they're doing is largely working on the two-time MVP. He has two hits in 12 at-bats since the start of Game 2, largely in the face of a diet of inside heat that was especially pronounced in Game 5:
Of course, this approach hints that two things can be true at once: that the Phillies' sudden offensive slump is as much a case of brilliant pitching as bad hitting.
"They have great starting pitching and every guy they bring in out of the 'pen is nasty and has been outstanding throughout the whole postseason," said Hoskins, per Paul Casella of MLB.com. "We're missing some pitches, I'm sure we are. But I think, for the most part, they are making their pitches. It's tough to hit when they are."
Even if he didn't quite follow up the six no-hit innings that Cristian Javier provided for the Astros in Game 4, Verlander obviously did what he had to do to get through five innings in Game 5. And as for Houston's bullpen, its 0.88 ERA for the postseason is very much on-brand with the MLB-best 2.80 ERA it had in the regular season.
To boot, there's a reason that the music that Astros pitchers are playing right now might sound familiar.
You might recall last year's American League Championship Series, in which the Astros fell into a 2-1 hole to a Boston Red Sox squad that outscored them 21-8 in Games 2 and 3. But as hot as Boston's bats were then, they suddenly became ice-cold as Houston's arms permitted just three more runs in the last three games of the series.
It's now the Phillies who seem to be under this same spell, and it's hard to imagine them so much as forcing a Game 7 if they can't find ways to break it.
What's Next for the Astros and Phillies?
Following an off day for travel on Friday, the World Series will resume for Game 6 at Minute Maid Park on Saturday.
Zack Wheeler will take the ball for Philadelphia, opposing Framber Valdez for Houston. The same two hurlers first squared off in Game 2, wherein Wheeler struggled with his velocity in giving up five runs in five innings while Valdez permitted one run over 6.1 innings.
