The Houston Astros lost Game 3 of the World Series on Tuesday night against the Philadelphia Phillies.
The game was never close: the final score of 7-0 is a truthful reflection of what happened last night at Citizens Bank Park.
The Phillies hit five home runs, all coming off starter Lance McCullers Jr.
Bryce Harper, Alec Bohm, Brandon Marsh, Kyle Schwarber and Rhys Hoskins all left the yard, and made McCullers the only pitcher in postseason history to surrender five long balls.
Obviously, fans and media questioned Astros manager Dusty Baker for leaving McCullers out there too long, especially when there were concerns about the right-hander tipping his pitches.
His windup and delivery was different at the time of throwing a fastball and a breaking ball, and the Phillies evidently picked up on that.
Baker Left McCullers In The Game Far Too Long
Baker defended his decision of leaving McCullers out there to concede five homers.
“Asked why he allowed McCullers to face the top of the order again, Baker said ‘The thought process was the fact that he had had two good innings, two real good innings, and then they hit a blooper, a homer, and then I couldn’t get anybody loose. I mean, it was my decision,'” Houston Chronicle’s Chandler Rome tweeted after speaking to Baker.
Asked why he allowed McCullers to face the top of the order again, Baker said "The thought process was the fact that he had had two good innings, two real good innings, and then they hit a blooper, a homer, and then I couldn't get anybody loose. I mean, it was my decision." https://t.co/4gPuY1LvGH
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) November 2, 2022
At one point, it looked like a home run derby at Citizens Bank Park, only that the Astros weren’t allowed to participate because Phillies starter Ranger Suarez pitched five great innings and shut them down.
We don’t know if Baker wanted to preserve his bullpen, but he had several starters (Luis Garcia and Jose Urquidy among them) ready to provide length.
He should have taken McCullers out earlier, but didn’t show the kind of urgency needed to manage a World Series game.
NEXT: Lance McCullers Jr. Shoots Down A Major Game 3 Theory