The Philadelphia Phillies were able to steal homefield advantage in the 2022 MLB World Series with their Game 1 win last week.
The Houston Astros answered with a convincing victory the next day and tied the series.
After a scheduled off day on Sunday and Monday’s postponement because of the weather forecast, the two teams are finally ready to take the field on Tuesday for the pivotal Game 3.
The Astros are going to send Lance McCullers to the mound in Citizens Bank Park.
The home team will have Venezuelan left-hander Ranger Suarez on the mound tonight.
“Yes, today: it’s Ranger Suarez’s turn in the World Series!” MLB Venezuela Twitter account wrote.
Hoy si que si… ¡LLEGÓ EL TURNO DE RANGER SUÁREZ EN LA #SerieMundial! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/2W040sspmC
— MLB Venezuela (@MLBVenezuela) November 1, 2022
Outside of Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler, Suarez has been manager Rob Thomson‘s go-to option for important games.
A Good 2022 Season
The southpaw was very solid in the 2022 regular season.
In 155.1 innings and 29 starts, he had a 3.65 ERA and a 3.87 Fielding Independent Pitching, or FIP.
He struck out 19.5% of the hitters he faced while walking 8.8%.
It’s not an ideal walk to strikeout ratio, but his 55.4% ground ball percentage was excellent and helped him consistently get outs.
Suarez has been even better in the postseason.
Despite a shaky start against the Atlanta Braves in the Division Series, the lefty has a solid 1.86 ERA in 9.2 frames.
Walks have been an issue in October, as he has handed five bases on balls.
However, he has continually found the right pitch to get out of jams at the right time before a rally starts.
Thomson usually trusts Suarez more than Noah Syndergaard, Kyle Gibson, Bailey Falter, and other options.
It’s Suarez’s turn to make the Phillies and Venezuelan baseball fans proud.
NEXT: The Phillies Continued An Eerie Game 3 Tradition