Phillies-Astros Game 1 Instant Reactions: Castellanos' glove?!
HOUSTON (CBS) -- The Phillies battled back to beat the Houston Astros, 6-5, in a wild Game 1 of the World Series Friday night at Minute Maid Park.
Here are five instant reactions from the game.
Best catcher in baseball
J.T. Realmuto rose to the moment in the first game of the World Series.
In the top of the 10th inning, Realmuto led it off with a solo shot to right field to give the Phillies their first lead of the game, 6-5.
Realmuto had a monster night in Game 1.
In the top of the fifth inning, Realmuto hit a two-run, game-tying double to tie the game 5-5.
Overall, Realmuto went 2 for 4 with three RBIs. He also made history in the process.
Realmuto became the first catcher with an extra inning home run in the World Series since Carlton Fisk's walkoff in Game 6 of the 1975 Series, according to ESPN Stats and Info. The homer was also the third extra inning home run in the Phillies' postseason history and the first in the World Series.
Nick Castellanos saves the day
It looked like it was over for the Phillies.
Jeremy Pena hit a short fly ball to right field and Jose Altuve was on his way to home. The Houston crowd was roaring.
But there was Nick Castellanos, making up for his bat with his glove.
Castellanos made a sliding catch that ended the inning and sent the game into extras.
Realmuto had the huge hit, but they're not there without Castelalnos' catch.
It looked identical to the play he made against the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS.
Rough World Series debut for Nola
The last time Aaron Nola was in Minute Maid Park, he pitched a gem that ended the Phillies' playoff drought. But, he didn't have the same luck in Game 1 of the World Series.
Nola got shellacked and allowed two home runs in 4 1/3 innings. He ended the night with five strikeouts and allowed six hits and two walks.
Nola started out the game on right track, despite a walk in the bottom of the first inning.
But in the next two innings, Nola found himself in a lot of trouble.
Astros right fielder Kyle Tucker led off the bottom of the second inning with a home run that gave Houston an early lead, and that was just the start.
Yuli Gurrel and Chas McCormick smacked singles off Nola, and then Martin Maldonado followed up with one on his own, which knocked in a run.
By the time Nola got out of the second inning, he was already up to 37 pitches.
In the bottom of the third inning, Tucker hit his second homer of the night after Jeremy Pena led off the inning with a double and Alex Bregman walked. The 395-foot homer gave Houston a 5-0 lead.
Nola's only clean inning came in the bottom of the fourth.
Neris gets best of his former team
Hector Neris was with the Phillies from 2014 to 2021, but he signed with the Astros during the offseason.
In Game 1, Astros skipper Dusty Baker went to Neris in a big moment of the game against his former team.
With the bases loaded in the top of the seventh inning, Neris struck out Castellanos to keep the game tied at 5-5.
All Neris needed was five pitches to get out Castellanos. He got him out swinging on an 86 MPH splitter.
Kyle Tucker has himself a night
Some might say that Tucker gave the Phillies bulletin board material ahead of the World Series. During media availability Thursday, the right fielder said: "Hopefully we just win in 4…. We're hoping to get it out of the way early."
Well, the Astros are on pace to do that -- mostly thanks to Tucker.
The Astros ultimately ended up losing the game, but they wouldn't have been in it without Tucker.
Tucker backed up that statement that went viral ahead of the Fall Classic with a huge game in Game 1 of the World Series.
Tucker hit two home runs off Nola to put the Astros on the board early.
Quite the start to the World Series for Tucker, despite the loss.
