Astros make World Series history, combine for no-hitter to even Fall Classic at two games apiece

PHILADELPHIA – Baseball is a very funny game. 

It’s extremely temperamental with momentum swings that never cease to amaze. 

Headed into Game 4 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, the Phillies looked to be in the driver’s seat of the series up 2-1 after their five home run thrashing of the Astros just 24 hours prior. 

So you’d be forgiven for not having the Astros combining for a no-hitter to even the series at two apiece with an easy 5-0 win over the home team on your bingo cards. 

But that’s exactly what they did. 

Cristian Javier was on the mound for the Stro’s to start this one and was absolutely dominant delivering six no-hit innings allowing just two baserunners while sitting down nine. He was removed to start the seventh in favour of Bryan Abreu, before Rafael Montero and Caleb Pressly rounded out the effort for just the second no-hitter in World Series history. 

Javier has been brilliant through the postseason as the Santo Domingo native has allowed just a single run on two hits through his 12 1/3 innings of work in his appearances in the ALDS, CS, and now the Fall Classic. His catcher Christian Vasquez was full of praise for his starter saying he believes he has the best fastball he has ever seen.

As for Javier, he had a feeling he was in for a good one because of some moral support he received from those close to him. “It’s funny. My parents told me today I was going to throw a no-hitter, and thanks to God, I was able to accomplish that,”

On the other end, the Phillies were less elated about the history they find themselves on the wrong end of. “I don’t give a sh*t,” was the response from Kyle Schwarber when asked postgame about the no-hitter. 

Justin Verlander is set to start for game five after what was a rough outing for him in the series opener. The veteran told the media he saw some mechanical issues with his previous start that he’s worked on cleaning up in order to avoid a repeat in fortune. 

The 39-year-old, though, remained realistic about how quickly things can change in playoff baseball. 

“Obviously there was a big momentum shift (Tuesday) night, one of the things as a team is you don't shy away from that,” Verlander told reporters before the game. “We understand what happened and obviously that shortens the series, it shortens it in their favour. But at the same time, we have been a part of a lot of postseasons where we come back and win a couple and the momentum changes right back.

“So the lesson is just to turn the page and get ready for the next day. That's all you can do. You don't want to put your head down and feel sorry about what happened the night before. That's yesterday's news. Come and do everything you can to win a ball game today.”

The Phillies will turn to Noah Syndegaard on Thursday night as they’ll look to regain control of the series. Thor has been a solid option for the Phillies this postseason, allowing just one run on three hits with four strikeouts through 5 1/3. First pitch for game 5 will go Thursday night just after 8PM ET.