HOUSTON — Bryce Harper hammered his sixth postseason home run, whispered an assist to Alec Bohm before his solo shot and the Philadelphia Phillies tied a World Series record with five homers to rout the Houston Astros 7-0 Tuesday night and take a 2-1 Series lead.
Brandon Marsh also homered, and Kyle Schwarber and Rhys Hoskins hit back-to-back shots in the fifth inning to chase Astros starter Lance McCullers Jr. Philadelphia used the long ball to end the long wait for its first World Series home win since Game 5 of the 2009 World Series.
Those Phillies couldn’t finish the job.
Ranger Suárez tossed three-hit ball over five shutout innings and inched this year’s team closer to getting it done.
Harper, Bohm, Marsh and the rest of the Phillies on the last team to qualify for the playoffs are two wins away from ending the season as the last team standing. With a sparkling 6-0 record at Citizens Bank Park this postseason, the Phillies just may not return to Texas.
Another red, raucous, resolute crowd of 45,712 let the Astros have it from the first pitch with chants of “Cheater! Cheater!” for Jose Altuve and “Check the Bat! Check the Bat!” for Martin Maldonado.
The fans — already amped from the jump after another sliding catch by right fielder Nick Castellanos in the first — didn’t wait long to go wild for the home run barrage.
With leadoff hitter Schwarber on first base, Harper repeated his flair for playoff power when he ripped a two-run shot off McCullers into the right field seats for the fast lead. That made Harper 2 for 2 on home run swings in Philly — he sent the Phillies to the World Series with a two-run drive in Game 5 of the NL Championship Series to beat San Diego.
Harper crossed the plate and again exclaimed “This is my house!” before he ripped off his helmet, exposed his Phillie Phanatic headband and was mobbed by teammates in the dugout.
Harper’s homers shake the stadium to the point they should be measured on the Richter scale rather in feet — and they seem as automatic these days as a Phillie Phanatic spin on his ATV. Harper has hit four postseason homers that gave the Phillies the lead and showed that, yes, Bryce Bombs do go off in November, the first time more World Series games will be played in this month than October.
Oh, and Harper might have a second career as a homer whisperer.
Harper beckoned Bohm from the on-deck circle and back to the dugout for a quick word of advice.
Maybe Harper saw McCullers tipping his pitches?
Whatever the quiet counseling was, it worked, and Bohm lined his first postseason homer and the 1,000th in World Series history into the left field seats for 3-0 lead.
So c’mon, Alec, fess up, what did Bryce tell you?
“That’s between us,” Bohm said on TV with a shrug and a big smile.
Marsh took the baton on the long-ball relay and knocked one into the right field seats that was dropped by a young kid from Delaware. The home run stood after a brief review — as it seems nothing can interfere with Philadelphia’s playoff push — and it was 4-0.
With that, McCullers had allowed four homers to his first nine batters. The right-hander who got his left triceps inked with nods to Houston got absolutely tattooed by the Phillies.
Schwarber, the NL home run champion, again dumped a two-run shot into a thicket of English ivy, Arborvitae and Holly beyond center field, and Hoskins connected on solo shot for a 7-0 lead that ended McCullers' night.
McCullers became the first pitcher to give up five home runs in a World Series game.
Suarez, the scheduled Game 4 starter before Game 3 was postponed a day by rain, delivered with the performance of his career and shut down the big bats in the AL champs’ lineup.
He needed only two pitches to get the first two outs of the game and struck out Yordan Alvarez to end the first. The few jams he got into, Suarez worked his way out, notably in the second when he whiffed Chas McCormick and left two runners stranded. He retired Altuve to end the fifth on a soft foul pop with two runners on base.
Four relievers each tossed a scoreless inning to finish the five-hitter.
UP NEXT
The Phillies send RHP Aaron Nola (2-1, 4.57 ERA in the postseason) to the mound against Houston RHP Christian Javier (1-0, 1.35 ERA) in Game 4. Nola was done after 4 1/3 innings in Game 1 of the World Series, though he retired the final six batters he faced and left in a tie game after the Phillies rallied from an early 5-0 deficit — and won 6-5.
Below are updates from the game.
Astros vs. Phillies eighth inning
Phillies 7, Astros 0
Neither team scored in the eighth inning. One chance left for Houston.
Astros vs. Phillies seventh inning
Phillies 7, Astros 0
The Astros didn't score in the top of the seventh.
The Phillies stayed scoreless in the frame, too.
Astros vs. Phillies sixth inning
Phillies 7, Astros 0
The Astros got two men aboard with a Chas McCormick walk and a Maldonado single, but Altuve popped up to end the frame.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Kyle Schwarber hit a two-run blast to increase the lead to 6-0. Then Hoskins went deep to make it 7-0.
With their five home runs, Philadelphia has set a record for home runs in a World Series game.
Astros vs. Phillies fifth inning
Phillies 7, Astros 0
The Astros got two men aboard with a Chas McCormick walk and a Maldonado single, but Altuve popped up to end the frame.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Kyle Schwarber hit a two-run blast to increase the lead to 6-0. Then Hoskins went deep to make it 7-0.
With their five home runs, Philadelphia has set a record for home runs in a World Series game.
Astros vs. Phillies fourth inning
Phillies 4, Astros 0
The Astros went down in order in the top of the inning.
McCullers set the Phillies down in order in the bottom half of the inning.
Astros vs. Phillies third inning
Phillies 4, Astros 0
The Astros went down in order in the top of the inning.
McCullers had his first 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the frame.
Astros vs. Phillies second inning
Phillies 4, Astros 0
Yuli Gurriel walked and David Hensley singled with two outs, but Chas McCormick struck out to end the inning.
In the bottom of the inning, Alec Boehm went deep to give Philadelphia a 3-0 lead over Houston. After a pair of strikeouts, Brandon Marsh went deep to give Philadelphia a 4-0 lead.
Astros vs. Phillies first inning
Phillies 2, Astros 0
Houston went down in order against Suárez in the top of the first. It started with Jose Altuve making a bid for a hit, but Phillies right fielder Nick Castellanos made a diving catch for the out.
In the bottom of the first inning, Bryce Harper homered with Kyle Schwarber on first to give Philadelphia a 2-0 lead.
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Because of the rainout Monday, this is the new schedule for the World Series, all times Central.
GAME 3: Tuesday, Nov. 1 at 7:03 p.m. in Philadelphia
GAME 4: Wednesday, Nov. 2 at 7:03 p.m. in Philadelphia
GAME 5: Thursday, Nov. 3 at 7:03 p.m. in Philadelphia
GAME 6: (if necessary): Saturday, Nov. 5 at 7:03 in Houston
GAME 7: (if necessary): Sunday, Nov. 6 at 7:03 in Houston
Houston right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. is set to pitch against Phillies lefty Ranger Suárez in Game 3. Noah Syndergaard had been scheduled to start for Philadelphia before the rainout.
Two Astros win Gold Gloves
Before the game, two Houston Astros were honored for their fielding during the season. Both Kyle Tucker and Jeremy Peña won Gold Glove awards. Both are first-time winners of the award. Peña becomes the first rookie shortstop to win the award. He's also the first Astros rookie to win it.
McCullers shows his love for Houston
How much does Lance McCullers love Houston? During the celebration after the Astros completed a sweep of the Yankees on Sunday, he told a national TV audience, "Bury me in the H," and it’s not the first time he’s said it. Then on Thursday, a day before the Astros World Series Game 1 against Philadelphia, McCullers showed his Houston tattoos off to reporters.