Game 6 this year will be on Saturday with a starting pitching matchup that is a rematch of Game 2: Houston’s left-hander Framber Valdez, who tossed a gem in the win, will go up against Philadelphia’s right-hander Zack Wheeler, who was given extra rest because his velocity dipped in the loss.
Entering Thursday, Verlander, who is likely to win his third A.L. Cy Young Award this season, had a few World Series demons to exorcise. In eight career starts over five World Series, he was winless with an 0-6 record and 6.07 E.R.A.
Given how powerful Verlander was during the regular season, it is easy to forget that he is 39 and missed almost all of 2020 and 2021 because of Tommy John surgery. Even for a younger player, playing deep into the year after spring training, a 162-game regular season and a month of the postseason is a lot.
Staked to a 1-0 lead in the first inning, Verlander was initially shaky on Thursday. He is known for attacking batters with high fastballs and Kyle Schwarber, the Phillies’ slugging leadoff hitter, was ready. He slammed Verlander’s second pitch into the right field seats for his fifth home run this postseason.
Then in the second inning, Verlander got himself into a jam. With two outs, he coughed up a single to second baseman Jean Segura and walked the light-hitting center fielder Brandon Marsh. Verlander then walked Schwarber on five pitches, most of them not near the strike zone, to load the bases. After a mound visit from the Astros pitching coach Josh Miller, Verlander regrouped and flung sliders at first baseman Rhys Hoskins for the threat-ending strikeout.
When Verlander walked Phillies designated hitter Bryce Harper in the third inning, it was his fourth free pass of the game. In his previous 31 regular-season and postseason starts in 2022, the most walks Verlander issued in a game was three.
“We got full confidence in Justin,” Astros Manager Dusty Baker said before the game. “Everybody’s wondering: is he on a short leash? I mean, no, he doesn’t have a leash at all. I mean, he’s Justin Verlander. Nobody can get out of trouble better than him.”
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