The Phillies and Astros played a game one for the ages on Friday night, with Philly orchestrating an epic comeback after falling behind 5-0 to future Hall of Famer and likely Cy Young winner Justin Verlander.
Instead of rolling over, the Phillies came all the way back to tie the game, forced extra innings with an improbable sliding catch by the typically weak-fielding Nick Castellanos in right field, and took the lead in the 10th with a home run by J.T. Realmuto.
Houston put the tying and winning runs in scoring position in the bottom of the 10th, but David Robertson earned the save to give the Phils a 1-0 series lead.
This World Series opener had it all, so much so that it belongs among the greatest World Series game ones of all time. Was it the best ever? Here are its top competitors for that crown.
2015: Royals 5, Mets 4 (14 innings)
An inside-the-park home run by Kansas City’s Alcides Escobar in the bottom of the first set the tone for the craziness that was to come. The Royals fell behind, tied it in the sixth, fell behind again in the eighth, and tied it with a home run by Alex Gordon. They eventually won it in the longest game in World Series history, based on total innings, on a walk-off sac fly by Eric Hosmer.
2000: Yankees 4, Mets 3 (12 innings)
The Phillies’ division rivals were on the wrong side of another extra-inning thriller in 2000, this time against their hated city rivals, who cut a run down at the plate after Timo Perez slowed his sprint when he thought a Todd Zeile blast had cleared the wall (it hit the very top of the wall). Still, the Mets held a lead before the Yankees tied it in the bottom of the ninth, then won it in the 12th on a walk-off single by improbable World Series hero Jose Vizcaino.
1954: Giants 5, Indians 2 (10 innings)
The game itself was a thriller, but it is mainly known for arguably the greatest catch in World Series, history, Willie Mays’ iconic over-the-shoulder grab with his back turned completely towards home plate. That game-saving catch in the eighth inning robbed Vic Wertz, keeping the game tied at two. It ended in the 10th with a pinch-hit walk-off home run by Dusty Rhodes, and the Giants went on to win the series.
1988: Dodgers 5, A’s 4
Nearly any casual baseball fan knows the legend by now. Facing dominant A’s closer Dennis Eckersley, the Dodgers called on the hobbled Kirk Gibson to punch hit in the bottom of the ninth, trailing 4-3. Gibson, with two bum legs, homered for one of the most memorable home runs in baseball history, and the sight of Gibson pumping his fists while rounding the bases is recognizable to nearly any baseball lover.