HOUSTON — Home has been where the hurt is for the Astros of this era.
In four World Series appearances dating back to 2017, they are an uncharacteristic 4-8 at Minute Maid Park, and they watched the 2019 Nationals and 2021 Braves celebrate a World Series championship on a field that’s supposed to belong to them.
So on Saturday night, when Game 6 of what has been an epic Fall Classic clash with the Phillies begins, the Astros — who enter with the 3-2 edge — have the opportunity to do something unusual not just for them but for MLB, of late.
“We actually haven’t seen a team clinch the title on its home field since the 2013 Red Sox, the longest streak of road clinchers in World Series history. One more win,” said Ryan Pressly, who finished Games 4 and 5 and hopes to close out one more, “and we get to (lift) that trophy over our heads. But the job’s not done right now. We’ve just got to keep going out there, having good at-bats, putting good quality pitches together, and let the chips fall where they may.”
Standing in their way is a Phillies squad that squandered its opportunity to seize this Series at Citizens Bank Park — first by getting no-hit by Cristian Javier and Co. in Game 4 on Wednesday, then by stranding 12 baserunners in a one-run loss in Game 5 on Thursday.
“It’s the ebbs and flows of the game, and sometimes you go through times when you don’t hit with runners in scoring position and then, three days later, everybody’s getting hits,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said.
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