You could sense the intensity. In Game 6 of the 2022 World Series, Houston's Framber Valdez and Philadelphia's Zack Wheeler went blow-for-blow in one of the most extraordinary pitching matchups of that entire postseason.
Kyle Schwarber's sixth-inning solo home run broke the scoreless tie, pumping confidence into the Phillies' dugout. With Philadelphia trailing in the series, 3-2, they needed late-inning fireworks. All night, they had been unable to get anything going at Minute Maid Park until Schwarber's home run.
Unfortunately, that was all the Phillies would muster. On this date, four years ago, the Astros responded to that Schwarbomb with a four-run sixth inning, behind a Yordan Alvarez go-ahead three-run home run.
Manager Rob Thomson pulled Wheeler for José Alvarado after 70 pitches with two one and one out in the sixth. That mistake would define his tenure in Philadelphia.
The Phillies lost the game, 4-1, and Houston clinched its second World Series title. It was the Phillies' first trip back to the Fall Classic since 2009, when they lost to the New York Yankees, also in six games.
It was the franchise's eighth time making it to the World Series in history. The Phillies have reached this series five times since ending their 97-year drought in the 1980 World Series, but have won only one ring since then. The flame went out with the trophy on the line.
Phillies hopes of a 2022 World Series championship fell short thanks to quiet bats
Houston's pitching was too much for Philadelphia's lineup to handle. Four batters hit below .200 in the World Series:
- Rhys Hoskins: 3-for-25 (.120)
- Nick Castellanos: 3-for-24 (.125)
- Jean Segura: 3-for-21 (.143)
- J.T. Realmuto: 4-for-24 (.167)
Bryce Harper wasn't much better, either. He hit just .200 in the Fall Classic.
All this came after the Phillies handled the St. Louis Cardinals in the Wild Card Series, 2-0. Then they beat the Atlanta Braves in five games in the NLDS, followed by a five-game drubbing of the San Diego Padres in the NLCS, where Harper earned MVP honors after going 8-for-20 (.400) with five extra-base hits and five RBIs.
There was a kind of magic hovering about the Phillies during this postseason. That feeling disappeared when they ran into the 106-win Astros, who rostered five All-Stars (Valdez, Alvarez, Kyle Tucker, Jose Altuve, Justin Verlander). Verlander won the Cy Young that season and Valdez placed fifth. Alvarez and Altuve were each Top 5 finalists in the MVP race, too. Even though the Phillies' World Series roster had the weakest regular season of the past five campaigns, the year ended in heartache, and a peak the team has yet to reach since.
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