The first game of the 2022 World Series was played on Friday night in Houston, against the backdrop of what appeared to be two evenly-matched teams: the Houston Astros and the Philadelphia Phillies. (My colleague at RedState’s sports desk, Jerry Wilson, gave readers a bite-sized preview in the article linked above).

But early in last night’s game, it began to look like the Astros were handling all of the important things, both offensively and defensively, with five unanswered runs and statistically, were most likely to win Game 1 on their home turf.

Here’s what it looked like heading into the bottom of the fourth inning, to most observers:

Up 5-0 in the fourth, Astros had a 97% chance to win.

They lose, 6-5 in the tenth. pic.twitter.com/rBTufbn0eQ

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) October 29, 2022

But then, things took a nosedive for the Houston club–and they never recovered.

Reuters:

Oct 29 (Reuters) – The relentless Philadelphia Phillies came back from a five-run deficit to overcome favorites Houston Astros 6-5 on Friday, handing the home team their first loss of the postseason in Game 1 of the World Series.

Philadelphia catcher J.T. Realmuto tied it up with a two-run double in the fifth inning and launched a solo homer to push Philadelphia over the top in the 10th.

FINAL: Phillies 6, Astros 5

Down 5-0, Phillies score 5 off Verlander, get a game-saving Castellanos catch in the 9th, a Realmuto homer in the 10th and a wobbly Robertson save to win Game 1 of the World Series.

Doesn't make much sense. Win anyway. The 2022 Philadelphia Phillies.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 29, 2022

Also, no one could have predicted the collapse of their ace pitcher Justin Verlander, whom no MLB manager would hesitate to hand the Game 1 World Series start with worries of getting a quality outing. That’s why they play the games, as the old saw goes.

Reuters’ piece continues:

But the Houston offense could only watch helplessly as nine-time All-Star pitcher Justin Verlander, who had appeared rock solid through the first three innings, unraveled on the mound and their lead evaporated.

“I need to do better. No excuses,” said Verlander.

Veteran manager for the Astros, Dusty Baker can’t be counted out, though. (Some might remember when Baker took several Cincinnati Reds teams to the post-season, as shown below.)

Anybody ready to watch football’s 4-2 Yale at 3-3 Columbia on ESPNU right now? I thought so. So relax and flip over to Fox at 8 pm ET for opening game of 2022 World Series between @Phillies and @astros in Houston. If I were betting man, I’d put it on Dusty Baker. He’s the best. pic.twitter.com/c9kKreKZFX

— Oscar Combs (@wildcatnews) October 28, 2022

Yeah, Dusty is the best. Here’s the issue for Astros fans (and this applies to politics, too, of course): While it’s easy to buy into statistics, even stats that might confirm someone’s bias, these Phillies numbers are pretty compelling, going into Saturday’s Game 2:

2022 Phillies: won World Series game 1
2008 Phillies: won World Series game 1
1980 Phillies: won World Series game 1 pic.twitter.com/Rc76I0fuFD

— John Foley (@2008Philz) October 29, 2022

Tonight’s game is set to start at 8 p.m. EDT on FOX, with a pregame segment beginning at 7 p.m. As they used to say back in the day, check your local listings.