In large measure because they were the victims of a combined no-hitter in Game 4, the Philadelphia Phillies came into World Series Game 5 against the Houston Astros without having managed a hit in 11 straight innings. Whatever pressures stemmed from that streak, they were perhaps heightened by the fact that the Astros pushed across a run in the top of the first of Game 5 to take a 1-0 lead.
Then, however, non-traditional leadoff hitter Kyle Schwarber in the bottom of the first was confronted with a 93.5 mph fastball from Justin Verlander that was actually above the zone. Schwarber swung, and he did not miss:
That left the bat at 110.6 mph and traveled an estimated 368 feet, tied the score at 1-1, and marked the first time the Phillies had notched a hit since Game 3. That's also Schwarber's fifth home run of these playoffs, and if you count the regular season then he's now got 51 home runs in 171 games in 2022.
Despite Wednesday's no-hitter, Schwarber didn't seem particularly stressed.
"I really don't give a shit," he told reporters after Game 4. "Nope. Move on to tomorrow. We'll be in the history books I guess."
As for Verlander, Schwarber's early clout is the latest episode of his World Series struggles. The Astros starter entered his Game 5 start with a record of 0-6 in World Series start and the highest ERA in World Series history. Now, the future Hall of Famer is atop this list:
At the time of Schwarber's, those 10 home runs had come in 43 World Series innings.
And to bring it all full circle:
At this writing, the Phillies have now out-homered the Astros by a margin of 7-3 in this World Series.
