Scoreless through five innings, the Phillies got on the board first in Game 6 after Kyle Schwarber smoked a 2-2 pitch from Framber Valdez for a solo home run, giving the Phillies a 1-0 advantage heading into the bottom of the sixth inning.
The Astros responded in their half of the inning as Yordan Alvarez would come up again in the clutch for Houston. With runners on first and third and only one out, Alvarez smashed a 450-foot three-run home run over the centerfield batter’s eye.
Leading 3-1, Christian Vazquez kept the sixth rolling, increasing the Astros’ lead to three on an RBI single platting Alex Bregman.
As the Astros have done all postseason long, they leaned on their bullpen to secure the win.
Former Phillie Hector Neris pitched a spotless seventh inning, followed by another 1-2-3 frame in the eighth by Bryan Abreu.
In the ninth, the Astros turned to closer Ryan Pressly who worked around a one-out single by J.T. Realmuto by forcing Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos to fly out, crowning Houston as the 2022 champs.
Astros’ shortstop Jeremy Pena was named World Series MVP, becoming the first rookie position player to earn the award. Pena, who also won ALCS MVP honors, batted .345 with four home runs and 8 RBI in the World Series.
