'We got two more wins to go:' Astros lined up to win their first World Series since 2017

PHILADELPHIA – The Houston Astros wanted to wildly celebrate Wednesday evening.

They wanted to rush the mound at Citizens Bank Park, tackle closer Ryan Pressly, jump on a human dog-pile and party.

It was a moment they will cherish forever, being only the second team in baseball history to pitch a no-hitter in the World Series, in their 5-0 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.

“We will celebrate,’’ Astros second baseman Jose Altuve said, “but not yet. We still have work to do.

“No-hitters are cool. You don’t see no-hitters every day. But what we really wanted to do was win the game, and we did.’’

The Astros may have all of the momentum now, and even the favorable pitching matchups the remainder of the World Series, but with the Series tied at 2-games apiece, they want to hold off on the revelry until they win two more games for the title.

“I love the no-hitter, it’s awesome,’’ Astros center fielder Chas McCormick said. “It’s really cool. But we got two more wins to go. We don’t lose sight of that. That’s when we’ll really celebrate.’’

History will have to wait, the Astros say. They helped Hall of Fame officials collect  memorabilia. They got an autographed game-used ball from starter Cristian Javier and relievers Bryan Abreu, Rafael Montero and Pressly, along with catcher Christian Vazquez. They got an Astros’ rosin bag. And a scoresheet, too, from Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz, the lead FOX analyst.

Hey, no offense to history, but the Astros would much prefer holding that World Series trophy in the middle of Minute Maid Park on Saturday or Sunday night.

“That’s what we’re playing for,’’ Astros right fielder Kyle Tucker said, “a World Series championship. If they ended up getting a hit, it wasn’t the end of the world. We’re just trying to win a game, not worry about the no-hitter. The win comes first.

“Now, we need to win two more games for it to really mean something.’’

Yet, while the Astros tried to act like it was just a routine World Series victory, don’t let them fool you. This was huge. It wasn’t just another victory, it was an emphatic statement.

The Astros were embarrassed Tuesday night in Game 3 when the Phillies tied a World Series record with five homers in their 7-0 trouncing. The sellout crowd of 42,926 showed up Wednesday night smelling blood.

Instead, the Astros no-hit the Phillies. The Phillies managed to hit only two fly balls off Javier. He made them look clueless with his disappearing 94-mph fastball, striking out nine batters, and retiring the last 11 batters he faced.

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“I think it’s the best fastball I’ve ever seen,’’ Vazquez said. “That’s how special he is.’’

Javier has been so dominant that he has not given up a run in last six starts, pitching 36 ⅔ scoreless innings, and limiting the opposition to an .051 batting average this postseason, second only to Don Larsen’s .031 average in 1956.

The man is unhittable.

“You get slapped in the face,’’ Pressly said, “you want to come back and make a statement. You try to have the mind of a goldfish in this game. You try not to think about anything. You just want to go out there and try to produce and put a 'W,' in the column.’’

This is a confident team, who were undefeated in the postseason, and heavily favored in the Series, only to lose two of the first three games. They knew they couldn’t afford to lose again, not with only seven teams in World Series history recovering from a 3-1 deficit to win. It's only happened once since 1985.

“We need some adversity,’’ McCormick said. “And when we get some adversity, we come out really strong. Sometimes, teams need that. People need that. It was a wake-up call.

“It was great to punch back.’’

The World Series may be tied at 2-2, but let’s be honest, the powerful Astros are in full control and back in the driver’s seat.

They have Cy Young favorite Justin Verlander on the mound Thursday in Game 5 against swingman Noah Syndergaard, who’ll start a bullpen game for the Phillies. Verlander may be 0-6 with a 6.07 ERA in eight career World Series starts, but he is much better in his second starts in series. He is yielding a 7.96 ERA in his five starts of a World Series, but a 3.18 ERA in his second starts.

“I tell you, every single person in that clubhouse,’’ Astros third baseman Alex Bregman said, “has the most confidence in the world in him. He's a Hall of Famer for a reason.’’

Then, they have Framber Valdez, who overwhelmed the Phillies in Game 2, going against Zack Wheeler in Game 6.

Really, everything is all lined up the Astros to win their first World Series title since 2017.

Then again, these are the Phillies, a model of resiliency, who refuse to succumb simply because they were on the other end of history.

“I really don’t give a [expletive],’’ Phillies left fielder Kyle Schwarber said about the no-hitter. “It’s cool. We’ll be in history books, I guess.’’

Well sorry, the Astros don't share the same opinion. Vazquez noted that he’s only the second player to catch a World Series no-hitter, joining Hall of Famer Yogi Berra who caught Larsen’s no-hitter in the 1956 World Series. And Javier was elated being the first pitcher to start two combined no-hitters in the same season, including their June 25 no-hitter against the New York Yankees.

“I mean, it's crazy,’’ Bregman said. “We grew up watching the World Series. We know that baseball's been going on for a long, long time. So to be a part of, just be a teammate on a team that did that, and what Javy and all the guys did, is really special.

“It's a moment that we'll all cherish forever and we'll all remember forever.’’

Says Vazquez: “We've not finished the job yet, but this is very, very special for us. And when we get old we're going to remember this.’’

For Astros manager Dusty Baker it will be a historic no-hitter that he wants to remember. He was managing the Cincinnati Reds in this same ballpark on Oct. 6, 2010, when Roy Halladay threw a no-hitter in the Phillies’ 4-0 victory in the NL Division Series. Now, we have a third postseason no-hitter, and the second in a World Series.

“I mean, that's what's strange about life,’’ Baker said, “and I remember being on the other end of that. Pretty remarkable.’’

The most difficult aspect of the historic evening was removing Javier from the game after 97 pitches, the exact same that Larsen threw in his perfect game. Yet, Javier had thrown more than 100 pitches only twice this season, and already has pitched 60 more innings than his career high.

“It's always tough to take a guy out,’’ Baker said, “but you have to weigh the no-hitter and history versus trying to win this game and get back to 2-2 in the World Series. …

“It's baseball in 2022. A young player, you think about his health and his career as much as you think about that game.’’

And on a magical Nov. 2 evening, the world was able to witness history, and get to know a 25-year-old who has emerged as one of the finest young stars in the game.

“It’s funny,’’ Javier said, “my parents told me I was going to throw a no-hitter. Thanks to God, I was able to accomplish that.’’

With a little help from his friends.

Follow Nightengale on Twitter: @Bnightengale

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Astros lined up to win their first World Series since 2017