Houston Astros

The Houston Astros once confirmed that they had a deal in place to acquire then-Washington Nationals superstar Bryce Harper in 2018 but that it did not go through.

The details of the trade had not been publicly revealed until Thursday, when Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reported that the Astros would have dealt infielders Abraham Toro and Randy Cesar, right-handed pitchers Josh James and J.B. Bukauskas and left-handed pitcher Kent Emanuel.

Harper was in his walk year with the Nats in 2018 and eventually left town for the Philadelphia Phillies on a 13-year, $330 million contract. He and the Phils will be playing the Astros in the World Series starting Friday.

Ultimately, the Astros failed to land Harper because Nationals owner Ted Lerner did not agree to the trade, per Rome. The parameters had been agreed upon by then-Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow and Nats general manager Mike Rizzo.

As far as the prospects go, Toro is currently in the big leagues with the Seattle Mariners. He hit .185 alongside 10 home runs and 35 RBI in 109 games this season. J.B. Bukauskas had a 7.79 ERA in 21 games as a reliever for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2021.

Emanuel is now in the Phillies organization with the Triple-A affiliate. The year before, he pitched 10 games as a reliever and posted a 2.55 ERA. James is still with the Astros and pitched in Triple-A in 2022 after 73 appearances from 2018-2021 (4.64 ERA). César did not get promoted to the big leagues.

The Nationals ended up doing well for themselves by winning the World Series in 2019. They are currently in a massive rebuilding phase, however, with an eye toward rebuilding the farm system and competing in the future.

Harper and the Phillies are looking for the team's first World Series since 2008 and third overall. Game 1 is Friday in Houston.

The average cost for a World Series ticket to watch the Houston Astros and the Philadelphia Phillies play in Citizens Bank Park is over $3,200, per Molly McVety of the News Journal.

The Phillies will host the Astros for Games 3, 4 and 5 (if necessary) in the best-of-seven series at that stadium.

The first game at Citizens Bank Park will go down Monday evening before Game 4 on Tuesday and then Game 5 if needed Wednesday.

Houston is hosting Philadelphia for Games 1 and 2 on Friday and Saturday, respectively in Minute Maid Park. Games 6 and 7, if needed, will occur Friday, Nov. 4, and Saturday, Nov. 5.

Houston home game ticket prices average around $1,500, per McVety, who provided more information on the cost it takes to watch the Fall Classic in person in Philadelphia:

"Philadelphia’s first home game will be played on Halloween night. The cheapest prices for two standing-room tickets are just under $1,000 on ticket resale website Stubhub. Lower-level tickets above the Phillies’ dugout are selling for around $4,000 on the same site. And one pair of Diamond Club tickets are selling for $17,100 each."

The Phillies are in the World Series for the first time since 2009 when they fell to the New York Yankees in six games.

The year before, Philadelphia defeated the Tampa Bay Rays to win their second-ever World Series.

Houston is in the World Series for the fourth time since 2017. The Astros beat the Los Angeles Dodgers that year but fell to the Washington Nationals in 2019 and the Atlanta Braves in 2021.

The waiting may be the hardest part for the Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros.

With Philadelphia wrapping up its National League Championship Series win over the San Diego Padres in five games and Houston sweeping the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series, there will be a four-day break before the World Series begins.

The schedule for the Fall Classic was released in full Monday:

• Game 1: Friday, Oct. 28 in Houston at 8:03 p.m. ET on Fox
• Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 29 in Houston at 8:03 p.m. ET on Fox
• Game 3: Monday, Oct. 31 in Philadelphia at 8:03 p.m. ET on Fox 
• Game 4: Tuesday, Nov. 1 in Philadelphia at 8:03 p.m. ET on Fox
• Game 5 (if necessary): Wednesday, Nov. 2 in Philadelphia at 8:03 p.m. ET on Fox
• Game 6 (if necessary): Friday, Nov. 4 in Houston at 8:03 p.m. ET on Fox
• Game 7 (if necessary): Saturday, Nov. 5 in Houston at 8:03 p.m. ET on Fox

This is nothing new for the Astros.

They have been to four of the last six World Series and even beat the Yankees in three of the ALCS matchups to make it that far. However, they lost in the 2019 World Series to the Washington Nationals and the 2021 Fall Classic to the Atlanta Braves.

Philadelphia doesn't have that type of experience to fall back on given this is the team's first trip to the World Series since the 2009 campaign, but it looked anything but intimidated by the moment while cruising past the Padres in the NLCS after defeating the St. Louis Cardinals in the Wild Card Series and the Braves in the Division Series.

The Phillies have yet to lose a postseason home game in front of raucous atmospheres at Citizens Bank Park, and that puts the pressure firmly on the Astros' side at the start of the series.

If Philadelphia can find a way to split the first two games in Houston, it would have the opportunity to do just what it did against San Diego and win three straight at home to take the series.

From a fan's perspective, it is difficult to script a better matchup with plenty of star power to go around with names such as Bryce Harper, Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and Justin Verlander, among others.

There is also an underdog story with a Phillies team that finished in third place in the National League East facing a powerhouse Astros club that has dominated the league of late.

It all starts Friday as Houston attempts to defend home-field advantage against a team that is playing its best baseball of the season.

The sixth-seeded Philadelphia Phillies will represent the National League against the top-seeded Houston Astros of the American League in the 2022 World Series.

A most unexpected match-up, it pits an Astros team that has yet to lose this postseason against a Phillies team that narrowly made the playoffs before captivating the baseball world with a relentless assault on the ball, thanks to the hottest bats in the Majors.

A resilient team who has proven the ability to hit its way out of any deficit, the NL champs are very much an unstoppable force heading for a collision with the unmoveable object in the Astros, who have been among the best in the sport for the last five years.

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World Series 2022 Schedule*

• Game One: Friday, October 28 
• Game Two: Saturday, October 29 
• Game Three: Monday, October 31
• Game Four: Tuesday, November 1
• Game Five: Wednesday, November 2**
• Game Six: Friday, November 4**
• Game Seven: Saturday, November 5**

*Times to be determined. All games are broadcast on Fox.

**If necessary

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Initial Reaction

The Astros belong in this series. They have been, for all intents and purposes, one of the best teams in the sport all year and definitely the best in their league.

The ease with which they swept both the Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees in the divisional and championship series is reflective of a team who knows how good it is, wanted to show it and had little resistance to that goal.

It’s a Phillies-Astros World Series

Probably Wheeler-Verlander in G1, Nola vs. Framber Valdez G2 — tremendous matchups

Astros won 106 games & have enough pitching to fill 2 rotations. But this is a race to 4 wins & the Phillies feel like they can beat anyone anywhere right now

— Corey Seidman (@CSeidmanNBCS) October 24, 2022

The only thing left for them now is collecting the Commissioner's Trophy that has eluded them since their last title in 2017.

Their pitching is more than good enough to achieve that goal. There is enough talent in the Astros organization to fill multiple rotations and none has been better than Justin Verlander, who is likely to win another Cy Young.

Their hitting is equally as good. The team has lived for the long ball, with 12 of its 31 runs this postseason being via the home run. They are an efficient hitting team and can put up just enough runs to put any game out of hand. Their postseason .708 OPS, good for third in the Majors, says as much.

Except, for the team right in front of them in those rankings? The Phillies, with .750.

The NL champs have been unstoppable hitting the ball this postseason, thanks in large part to the $300 million man, Bryce Harper. The face of the franchise and, arguably, the biggest star in baseball came through big time in these playoffs. His five home runs are tied with the Yankees' Harrison Bader for the most in baseball while he and teammate Rhys Hoskins are responsible for the most RBIs in the postseason.

His SLG (.907) is the highest of any player with a minimum of five games played and his on-base percentage is just behind Atlanta's Matt Olson for No. 2 in the bigs.

Harper has been the star the Phillies needed and expected him to be when they signed him to that monster deal and he has helped fuel an offense that has never been out of any game, regardless of what the scoreboard said.

The key to the series will be Houston's ability to stimy those bats. Can Verlander, Framber Valdez, Lance McCullers Jr., Jose Urquidy, Cristian Velez and Luis Garcia keep Harper, Hoskins, Kyle Schwarber, Jean Segura, JT Realmuto and the rest of the lineup from running up the score?

If the Phillies can hit off of the Astros rotation like they have the rest of their postseason series, and Harper can be a deciding factor like he has for this team since they narrowly snuck into the playoffs late in the regular season, the Phillies are going to win their first championship since 2008.

Phillies-Astros, Friday night at Minute Maid Park. The World Series. The Astros haven't lost a game since Oct. 3 -- when Aaron Nola beat them.

— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) October 24, 2022

If they do not, and the Astros are able to hold them somewhere around three or four runs a game, the Astros can exploit the bend-but-don't-break nature of Phillies aces Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola, and continue their run of dominance to that elusive world title, which would be the first for legendary skipper Dusty Baker.

The Houston Astros are back in the World Series for the second successive year and fourth time in six seasons after completing a commanding four-game sweep of the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series.

The Astros overcame an early three-run deficit and then had an answer for every Yankees rally in Sunday's 6-5 victory. Houston went ahead for good with two runs in the seventh inning after New York had taken a 5-4 lead.

With the ALCS sweep, the Astros remain undefeated in the 2022 postseason with seven straight wins. Fans on social media praised the Astros for their dominant run through the playoffs so far.

The Astros lost Gerrit Cole, George Springer and Carlos Correa in free agency in consecutive years and haven't missed a beat.

Their staying power continues to be incredibly impressive.

— Kyle Glaser (@KyleAGlaser) October 24, 2022

Boo the hell out of the Astros all you want but you have to respect them. Four World Series in 6 years. Dusty Baker can win his first title. No accusations of trash cans or buzzers. Just great baseball. RESPECT!

— John McClain (@McClain_on_NFL) October 24, 2022

The Houston Astros golden era continues as they head to yet another World Series.

THRILLED for Dusty Baker, a team full of genuinely good guys, loyal fans, and a franchise with people from top to bottom who work so hard. #LevelUp

— Vanessa Richardson (@SportsVanessa) October 24, 2022

The #Astros are 4 victories away from running the table. The only team that won more consecutive games in a single postseason were the 2014 #Royals (8)

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) October 24, 2022

The #Astros are a perfect 7-0 this postseason, they are the third team in MLB history to sweep the first two rounds of the playoffs en route to the World Series.

— Daniel Gotera (@DTGotera) October 24, 2022

teams to reach World Series undefeated, Wild Card Era:

2022 Astros 7-0
2014 Royals 8-0
2007 Rockies 7-0 https://t.co/XiDTyTPTft

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) October 24, 2022

The Yankees struck out FIFTY times while being swept in four games by the Astros. pic.twitter.com/ccqMHbYxRM

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) October 24, 2022

First sweep in a seven-game series in Astros postseason history

— Mark Berman (@MarkBerman_) October 24, 2022

Fitting. No cheating in this one. Astros embarrassed the Yankees.

— Moose™ (@MarcMalusis) October 24, 2022

The Houston Astros celebrated a no-hitter AND a trip to the World Series at Yankee Stadium this season.

— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) October 24, 2022

The Houston Astros are everything the Dodgers fans think the Dodgers are.

— Devine Sports Gospel (@DevineGospel) October 24, 2022

The Astros have established themselves as a dynasty in the AL, and their dominance continued this season. Houston is firing on all cylinders and could be on its way to its second World Series title since 2017.

To achieve that, the Astros will have to get past the Philadelphia Phillies, who defeated the San Diego Padres in five games in the National League Championship Series. The World Series will begin on Friday.

The New York Yankees had a golden opportunity for a reset on Saturday. Back home at Yankee Stadium for Game 3 of the American League Championship Series with their best pitcher on the mound? What could possibly go wrong?

Only everything.

The Houston Astros are now firmly in the driver's seat—not to mention on the doorstep of the World Series—with a 3-0 lead in the ALCS after their 5-0 win in Game 3. They permitted the Yankees just three hits while putting up crooked numbers in two separate innings, starting with Chas McCormick's Yankee Stadium Special of a two-run home run in the second.

Chas off the top of the wall! #Postseason pic.twitter.com/XvRNJR4V28

— MLB (@MLB) October 22, 2022

The Yankees were able to get multiple runners on base only twice all game, and only one of those instances was a true threat. By the time Matt Carpenter and Harrison Bader recorded back-to-back singles with two outs in the ninth, it was already too late.

In the end, the Yankees were shut out at home for only the 16th time in their postseason history—and only for the fourth time on three or fewer hits.

The Yankees know as well as anyone just how much trouble they're in being down 3-0. They were, after all, on the losing end of the only 3-0 comeback in Major League Baseball history in 2004. Otherwise, every one of the other 39 attempts has failed.

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The Yankees' Painfully Specific Brand of Non-Competitive Baseball

There's no blaming Gerrit Cole for the Yankees' predicament.

As Jameson Taillon and Luis Severino had done in Games 1 and 2, Cole provided the Yankees with a solid start. In five innings, the $324 million ace allowed three runs on five hits and two walks with seven strikeouts. He had a darn good slider going throughout.

Gerrit Cole, Wicked Sliders. 🤢

On a mission... pic.twitter.com/w3h7HwuC0E

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) October 22, 2022

Cole was let down, in part, by his defense, specifically on a play in the second inning where Harrison Bader dropped a fly ball after nearly colliding with Aaron Judge. McCormick's home run came just three pitches later.

There is, of course, that other reason the Yankees lost Game 3. And it's the same one that explains why they're on the verge of getting swept by the same team that needed seven and six games, respectively, to beat them in the ALCS in 2017 and 2019.

They're. Just. Not. Hitting.

Following Saturday's three-hit dud, the Yankees are now batting a collective .128 in the series and .161 for the playoffs as a whole. The latter is the worst ever for a team that played at least eight games in a single postseason.

It hasn't helped that Judge has gone ice-cold in the batter's box, otherwise known as the same place from where he hit an AL-record 62 home runs during the regular season. Albeit with a pair of home runs, he's just 5-for-32 with 14 strikeouts since the postseason began.

Hence the boo birds being out for Judge once again on Saturday:

Judge goes down swinging and, for the second time this postseason, hears some boos from the Yankee Stadium crowd

— Erik Boland (@eboland11) October 22, 2022

Yet the Yankees need not search far and wide for evidence that it is possible to win in the playoffs even as one star hitter goes cold. The Astros are a perfect 6-0 even though Jose Altuve, who beat out Judge for the AL MVP in 2017, is just 1-for-28.

Whether it's Giancarlo Stanton (5-for-28), Gleyber Torres (4-for-30), Josh Donaldson (5-for-25) or Matt Carpenter (1-for-11), Judge simply hasn't gotten as much help from his supporting cast as Altuve has from his.

To boot, everyone has the same problem right now: the strikeout. The Yankees have struck out in 33.6 percent of their plate appearances, which is also an all-time worst among clubs that played eight least eight games in a given postseason.

"We've got to find a way right now" is a phrase that Yankees manager Aaron Boone used multiple times in his postgame press conference. With that, there is no arguing.

Because if they don't, a season that was once on track to be one of the greatest in the Yankees' history is going to finally end in one of their greatest embarrassments.

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It Seems the Astros Are Simply Better Than the Yankees

Before the Astros and Yankees renewed their rivalry for the first time in 2022, this is where they stood back on June 23:

• Yankees: 51-18
• Astros: 43-25, 7.5 GB

Even though the Yankees actually took that first meeting, here's how things unfolded the rest of the way:

• Astros: 63-31
• Yankees: 48-45, 14.5 GB

As highlighted by the 5-1 record that they posted in the two clubs' last six head-to-head meetings, the Astros have thus been a substantially better team than the Yankees for a while. And precisely how they've been better has never been more obvious than it is right now.

Put simply, they're just better at keeping runs off the board.

Whereas the Astros scored 11 fewer runs than the Yankees after June 23, they also allowed 74 fewer runs. That was a group effort, as not a single one of the 16 hurlers who pitched at least 20 innings for Houston down the stretch posted a negative WAR.

Saturday's game was perhaps the ultimate testament to the depth of Houston's pitching. With Justin Verlander and Framber Valdez having pitched in the first two games and Lance McCullers Jr. needing an extra day to deal from a fluke elbow injury, the Astros turned to their No. 4 starter in Cristian Javier. They also didn't use their best reliever in closer Ryan Pressly.

And yet, they still twirled a three-hit shutout. And a dominant one at that, as they racked up 11 strikeouts and permitted only five batted balls that traveled so far as 200 feet.

Following a likewise impressive display of pitching against the Seattle Mariners in the Division Series, the Astros now have a 1.57 ERA for the postseason. With the minimum set at six games, that's the best any team has done since the wild-card era in 1995.

The only fly in the ointment that's thus far produced Houston's perfect postseason record is that the club's offense has yet to truly break out. An output of 25 runs in six games isn't exactly record-book material.

Save for Altuve, though, none of the Astros regulars can be described as "cold."

Just about everyone has pitched in something, whether we're talking about Yordan Álvarez, Alex Bregman, Yuli Gurriel, and Jeremy Peña each boasting multiple home runs or Christian Vázquez finally getting a start in Game 3 and coming through with a huge two-run single.

Now Vázquez gets it done with the bat! #postseason pic.twitter.com/aRKu85y9ma

— MLB (@MLB) October 22, 2022

This is how the Astros have been a buzzsaw even as they've been firing on less than all cylinders. And with one more win, they'll have buzzed their way to the World Series for the fourth time in the last six years.

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What's Next for the Astros and Yankees

Game 4 of the ALCS is set for Sunday, with McCullers on the hill for the Astros opposite Nestor Cortes for the Yankees. First pitch is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. ET.

McCullers was excellent in Game 3 of the ALDS, holding the Mariners scoreless on two hits and two walks in six innings. Cortes allowed just three runs over 10 innings in the two starts he made against the Cleveland Guardians in the ALDS, the second of which came on short rest in the decisive fifth game of the series.

If the Yankees win, Game 5 will be on Monday. If the Astros win, the series is over.

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Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.

The Houston Astros will travel to New York's famed Yankee Stadium for a date with the Bronx Bombers in Game 3 of the ALCS Saturday.

The defending American League champions will look to take a 3-0 series lead and push the Yankees to the brink of elimination.

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ALCS Schedule

Game 3: Saturday, October 22 (5:07 p.m. ET, TBS)

Game 4: Sunday, October 23 (7:07 p.m. ET, TBS)

Game 5: Monday, October 24 (4:07 p.m. ET, TBS)*

Game 6: Tuesday, October 25 (6:07 p.m. ET, TBS)*

Game 7: Wednesday, October 26 (7:37 p.m. ET, TBS)*

*If necessary

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Prediction

To say that a win for the Astros would give them a commanding lead in the series would be an understatement.

Houston is playing like the best team in baseball; one hellbent on erasing the disappointment of last year's World Series shortcoming. They have excelled on both sides of the ball throughout the ALCS.

On the offensive side, the Astros are exponentially better than the opposition in batting average (.254 to .138), slugging percentage (.508 to .262) and on-base percentage (.343 to .200).

Pitching has been equally as one-sided, with the Astros amassing a 1.0 ERA versus the Yankees' mark of 3.94 entering the pivotal game. The latter did get a bit of good news, perhaps, as it was revealed that Houston's Cristian Javier will start Saturday's game after expected pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. "caught a spare champagne bottle to the elbow" and suffered a cut.

Aside from clearly being a reserve option, Javier also allowed the most home runs of his career (17) in 2022. Not exactly the stat you want hanging overhead before a date with Aaron Judge, Harrison Bader and a New York team that led the Majors in home runs in the regular season.

However, this is not the first time the Yankees have seen Javier, and he had no trouble sitting batters down in their previous encounter.

Last time Cristian Javier faced the Yankees in New York... pic.twitter.com/t9qJzNUpkj

— Michael Schwab (@michaelschwab13) October 21, 2022

No matter how dominant the Astros have been in this series, one has to figure New York will find a way to steal at least one game. Saturday night, at home against a pitcher they should be able to get after, feels like as good as any time to make that happen.

Prediction: Yankees win, series 2-1

Houston Astros starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. said Friday he suffered a small cut on his pitching elbow during the team's celebration after its ALDS triumph over the Seattle Mariners last week.

Lance McCullers Jr “caught a champagne bottle to the elbow” during the ALDS clubhouse celebration after beating the Mariners. “I’m fine..it was no one’s fault, it was an accident” pic.twitter.com/7D7DQKkzof

— SportsTalk 790 (@SportsTalk790) October 21, 2022

As a result, McCullers' ALCS start against the New York Yankees has been moved back to Game 4. The Astros announced Cristian Javier will move up to take the ball in Game 3 on Saturday.

McCullers delivered six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts in Houston's series-clinching win over the Mariners on Saturday. He hasn't allowed more than two runs in a start since Aug. 19 against the Atlanta Braves, a span of seven outings.

The 29-year-old Florida native compiled a 2.27 ERA and 1.24 WHIP across eight starts during the regular season. He missed a majority of the campaign with a forearm injury.

Injuries have been a concern throughout the right-hander's career—he's never reached the 30-start threshold in eight years with Houston, including Tommy John surgery that forced him to miss all of 2019—but he's been reliable when healthy with a 3.48 career ERA.

There isn't really a drop off to Javier, who posted a 2.54 ERA and 0.95 WHIP in 30 appearances (25 starts) for the AL Central champions in the regular season.

The Astros have also created some leeway for themselves by winning the first two games of the ALCS. So, if they win Game 3 and there's any lingering concern about McCullers' elbow, it wouldn't be a surprise to see a bullpen game in Game 4 as a precaution.

Houston's rotation depth—Javier, McCullers, Justin Verlander and Framber Valdez—is the main reason the club is now the clear World Series frontrunner, and it has Luis Garcia and José Urquidy waiting in the wings should anything happen to that quartet of starters.

The fact the 'Stros also finished eighth in runs scored during the regular season merely adds to the mountain the Yanks must climb if they're going to complete an ALCS comeback.

New York returns home for Game 3 and sends ace Gerrit Cole to the mound, which essentially makes it a must-win situation.

Saturday's game at Yankee Stadium is scheduled for a 5:07 p.m. ET first pitch on TBS.