Houston Astros One Game Away From World Series Championship

PHILADELPHIA -- After he leaped against the right-center-field scoreboard and secured the catch of his life -- a catch that, depending on what the Houston Astros do the rest of this week, could go down as one of the most memorable and important in baseball history -- Chas McCormick just laid there, back to the warning-track dirt, feet sprawled out in front of him, glove to the sky.

The Astros, propelled by McCormick's improbable ninth-inning catch, are one win away from another World Series championship. They rode a gutsy pitching performance from veteran Justin Verlander, a spectacular offensive showing from rookie Jeremy Pena and a couple of late-game defensive gems -- first by Trey Mancini as a first-base replacement, then by McCormick -- to a 3-2 victory over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park in Thursday night's Game 5.

Houston recently lost two World Series to underdog teams from the National League East, first the Washington Nationals in 2019 and then the Atlanta Braves in 2021. It seemed as if it might happen again this year, when the Phillies, a team that won 19 fewer regular-season games, earned a split from Houston and took a 2-1 Series lead with a five-home-run barrage in Game 3 in Philadelphia.

Game six is Saturday on ESPN 102.3/AM 1000 KSOO with coverage beginning at 6:00 PM.

30 famous people you might not know were college athletes

Stacker dug deep to find 30 celebrities who were previously college athletes. There are musicians, politicians, actors, writers, and reality TV stars. For some, an athletic career was a real, promising possibility that ultimately faded away due to injury or an alternate calling. Others scrapped their way onto a team and simply played for fun and the love of the sport. Read on to find out if your favorite actor, singer, or politician once sported a university jersey.

Filed Under: Baseball, Chas McCormick, Houston Astros, MLB, Philadelphia Phillies, World Series Championship

Categories: Articles