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Game 1 of the 2022 World Series is finally here.

From the American League, the Houston Astros continue to make their case as one of baseball’s best modern dynasties. This is their fourth World Series appearance in six years, and they’ve run roughshod over the competition in the playoffs, sweeping the Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees in decisive fashion. Jeremy Pena and Chas McCormick were both on fire in the AL Championship Series, combining for four home runs and OPSing over 1.000.

In the National League, the Philadelphia Phillies continue their Cinderella run. After winning only 87 games in the regular season, the Phillies have gone on a roll in the postseason, rocking a 9-2 record, including a 3-1 domination of the defending champion Atlanta Braves in the NL Division Series. The team has maintained its slugging ways throughout the playoffs, with Kyle Schwarber mashing a 488-foot home run and Bryce Harper hitting a legacy-defining series winner in the NLCS.

Will Philadelphia knock off the juggernaut, or will Houston add a second championship to its repertoire? It all started Friday night in Houston. We’ll be here with all of the best highlights, analysis and takeaways.

A whole new ballgame

The Astros added lefty Will Smith — the closer for the champion Atlanta Braves a year ago — to the roster for this round. Dusty Baker had a perfect situation to use him with lefties Brandon Marsh and Kyle Schwarber leading off the fifth against a tiring Justin Verlander. Marsh hit .188 against lefties and Schwarber .193 this season.

But there was Verlander back out there and Marsh doubled, Schwarber walked and J.T. Realmuto tied the game with a two-run double. These Phillies don’t quit, that’s for sure. In our predictions file heading into the series, I warned that Baker was likely to leave a starter in too long at some point — and we just saw it happen. A lot of baseball to go here, but a 5-0 blowout has surprisingly turned into a good game. — David Schoenfield

Phillies on the board

Just like that, the Phillies get right back in this game, scoring three runs off Justin Verlander with two outs in the fourth inning. Verlander appeared to catch a break when Rhys Hoskins held up at third base on Bryce Harper’s two-out line-drive single to right field, but Nick Castellanos rescued Hoskins with a base hit to left and Alec Bohm doubled down the left-field line to score two.

Now comes the big question: How long will Dusty Baker stick with Verlander? Houston has a deep, dominant bullpen that has allowed three runs in 33 innings in the postseason. After Verlander issued a 10-pitch walk to light-hitting Bryson Stott after the three runs had scored, on top of throwing 31 pitches in the inning, Baker should consider going to the bullpen for the fifth and the 9-1-2 hitters coming up. The Astros have the bullpen arms to cover five innings. — Schoenfield

The Kyle Tucker Game

This game is out of hand early as Kyle Tucker unloads on a 3-2 sinker from Aaron Nola for a three-run home run and 5-0 lead for the Astros in the bottom of the third. John Smoltz made a great point on the broadcast that Nola didn’t seem to want to go back to his changeup since Tucker had homered off it in the second inning. So even though Nola got ahead 0-2, he stuck with fastballs and curveballs. Tucker locked in on the fastball and crushed it at 105.3 mph and 395 feet to right-center, becoming the first Astros player with a multi-homer game in the World Series. We have plenty of time left to see if Tucker can match Babe Ruth (twice), Reggie Jackson, Albert Pujols and Pablo Sandoval with a three-homer World Series game. — Schoenfield

Verlander is dealing

Justin Verlander has a reputation as a big-game pitcher in the postseason — mostly based on two dominant performances against the Yankees in the 2017 ALCS. His World Series history, however, is another matter: He entered this game 0-6 with a 5.68 ERA in seven career starts. That’s the third-worst ERA among pitchers who have started at least five World Series games. Early on, however, he’s cruising: Nine up and nine down through three innings with four strikeouts, including a three-pitch strikeout of Bryce Harper when he got Harper to swing and miss at three straight fastballs at the top of the zone. — Schoenfield

Tucker opens the scoring

Kyle Tucker, the under-appreciated star in the Houston lineup, puts the first run of the World Series on the board with a home run to right field off a poorly located 1-1 changeup from Aaron Nola. That’s a bad sign for Nola. He was great in his first two postseason starts, allowing one unearned run over 12.2 innings, but served up two home runs in a Game 2 NLCS loss to the Padres, blowing an early 4-0 lead in the process. The Astros are also running his pitch count up through the first two innings, another bad sign for the Phillies, who don’t have the bullpen depth the Astros have in case Nola can’t go six or seven innings. One more piece of bad news for the Phillies: Martin Maldonado singles in a run to make it 2-0: The Astros have won 22 consecutive games when they’ve scored first, going back to the regular season. — Schoenfield

Simone Biles reps Houston

Eagles pulling for Phillies

More pregame fashion

Harper channels Mike Schmidt

Bryce Harper walked into Game 1 wearing the jersey of Philadelphia Phillies legend and Hall of Fame Mike Schmidt. It’s not the first time Harper has paid tribute to Schmidt — earlier this season, he did a photoshoot recreating Schmidt’s iconic 1987 Phillies Media guide cover.

Game 1 lineups and pitchers

Starters: Aaron Nola (11-13, 205 IP, 3.25 ERA, 235 K) vs. Justin Verlander (18-4, 175 IP, 1.75 ERA, 185 K)

Philadelphia Phillies

1. Kyle Schwarber (L) LF (.218 AVG, 46 HR, .827 OPS)
2. Rhys Hoskins (R) 1B (.246 AVG, 30 HR, .794 OPS)
3. J.T. Realmuto (R) C (.276 HR, 22 HR, .820 OPS)
4. Bryce Harper (L) DH (.286 AVG, 18 HR, .877 OPS)
5. Nick Castellanos (R) RF (.263 AVG, 13 HR, .694 OPS)
6. Alec Bohm (R) 3B (.280 AVG, 13 HR, .713 OPS)
7. Bryson Stott (L) SS (.234 AVG, 10 HR, .653 OPS)
8. Jean Segura (R) 2B (.277 AVG, 10 HR, .723 OPS)
9. Brandon Marsh (R) CF (.245 AVG, 11 HR, .679 OPS)

Houston Astros

1. Jose Altuve (R) 2B (.300 AVG, 28 HR, .921 OPS)
2. Jeremy Pena (R) SS (.253 AVG, 22 HR, .715 OPS)
3. Yordan Alvarez (L) LF (.306 AVG, 37 HR, 1.019 OPS)
4. Alex Bregman (R) 3B (.259 AVG, 23 HR, .820 OPS)
5. Kyle Tucker (L) RF (.257 AVG, 30 HR, .808 OPS)
6. Yuli Gurriel (R) 1B (.242 AVG, 8 HR, .647 OPS)
7. Trey Mancini (R) DH (.239 AVG, 16I’m HR, .751 OPS)
8. Chas McCormick (R) CF (.245 AVG, 14 HR, .738 OPS)
9. Martin Maldonado (R) C (.186 AVG, 15 HR, .600 OPS)

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Red Sox call up Fulmer in Tommy John return

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Red Sox call up Fulmer in Tommy John return

CHICAGO — Former American League Rookie of the Year Michael Fulmer, returning from Tommy John surgery, was brought up from the minor leagues Sunday when the Boston Red Sox placed right-hander Richard Fitts on the 15-day injured list with a right pectoral strain.

A 32-year-old right-hander, Fulmer has not pitched in the big leagues since 2023 with the Chicago Cubs. He had Tommy John revision surgery on Oct. 18, 2023, signed a minor league contract with Boston the following Feb. 2 and did not pitch last year.

Fulmer had a 0.79 ERA in five spring training appearances for the Red Sox, striking out 12 and walking three in 11⅓ innings. He had a 3.09 ERA in two starts and one relief appearance for Triple-A Worcester, striking out 18 and walking six in 11⅔ innings. His four-seam fastball averaged 92.4 mph.

He won the 2016 AL Rookie of the Year with the Detroit Tigers, had Tommy John surgery on March 27, 2019, and returned to the major leagues on July 27, 2020, just after the start of the pandemic-shortened season.

Fulmer is 37-50 with a 3.94 ERA in 90 starts and 172 relief appearances for the Tigers (2016-22), Twins (2022) and Cubs (2023).

Fulmer’s contract was selected from Worcester. Red Sox manager Alex Cora said he expects to use Fulmer out of the bullpen.

Fitts will undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the extent of his injury, Cora said. The 25-year-old left Saturday’s game against the White Sox with shoulder discomfort as he was facing Miguel Vargas, Chicago’s first hitter in the sixth inning.

Making his seventh big league start, Fitts had a 2-0 lead and allowed two hits. He was in position for his first major league win when he was replaced by Zack Kelly with a 2-2 count on Vargas. Vargas walked, and two batters later Luis Robert Jr. hit a two-run homer,

Chicago went on to win 3-2 on pinch-hitter Brooks Baldwin‘s RBI single in the ninth.

Fitts has a 2.39 ERA in seven starts for the Red Sox over two seasons. He is 0-2 with a 3.18 ERA this year.

Fulmer has a contract paying a $1.5 million salary while in the major leagues and $180,000 while in the minors.

He can earn $2 million in performance bonuses for innings and $500,000 for relief appearances. Fulmer would get $50,000 each for 75, 80, 85, 90 and 95 innings, $100,000 apiece for 100, 110, 120, 130 and 140, and $250,000 each for 150, 160, 170, 180 and 190. He would earn $100,000 each for 40, 45, 50, 55 and 60 relief appearances.

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NFL draft hopeful, ex-LSU WR Lacy found dead

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NFL draft hopeful, ex-LSU WR Lacy found dead

Former LSU receiver Kyren Lacy was found dead Saturday night in Houston, an LSU official confirmed to ESPN on Sunday.

Lacy was accused of causing a crash that killed a 78-year-old man on Dec. 17 and then fleeing the scene without rendering aid or calling authorities. On Jan. 12, he turned himself in to authorities, was jailed and then released on $151,000 bail, according to police records.

Lafourche (Louisiana) Parish Sheriff’s Office records indicated that Lacy was charged with negligent homicide, felony hit-and-run with death and reckless operation of a vehicle. According to WAFB-TV, a grand jury was to begin hearing evidence in the case Monday.

According to a news release from Louisiana State Police, Lacy was allegedly driving a 2023 Dodge Charger on Louisiana Highway 20 and “recklessly passed multiple vehicles at a high rate of speed by crossing the centerline and entering the northbound lane while in a designated no-passing zone.”

“As Lacy was illegally passing the other vehicles, the driver of a northbound pickup truck abruptly braked and swerved to the right to avoid a head-on collision with the approaching Dodge,” a Louisiana State Police news release said.

“Traveling behind the pickup was a 2017 Kia Cadenza whose driver swerved left to avoid the oncoming Dodge Charger. As the Kia Cadenza took evasive action to avoid impact with the Dodge, it crossed the centerline and collided head-on with a southbound 2017 Kia Sorento.”

Police alleged that Lacy, 24, drove around the crash scene and fled “without stopping to render aid, call emergency services, or report his involvement in the crash.”

Herman Hall, of Thibodaux, Louisiana, who was a passenger in the Kia Sorento, later died from injuries suffered in the crash, according to state police.

Lacy’s agent, Rocky Arceneaux, said in a statement that his client is “fully cooperating with the authorities.”

Lacy declared for the NFL draft on Dec. 19, two days after the crash, and did not play in LSU’s win over Baylor in the Texas Bowl. He participated in March at LSU’s pro day and was ranked as high as the No. 6 receiver prospect in the draft by ESPN’s Mel Kiper in December. Lacy was not ranked among the top 10 available wide receivers in Kiper’s most recent Big Board, which was published last month.

Lacy played three seasons at LSU after starting his career at Louisiana. Lacy had his best season last year when he caught 58 passes for 866 yards and a team-leading nine touchdowns.

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Cubs feast in Dodgers’ worst home shutout loss

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Cubs feast in Dodgers' worst home shutout loss

LOS ANGELES — The Chicago Cubs had a big night against the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

One night after being shut out, the Cubs broke out for 14 runs and 15 hits in the final three innings of a 16-0 victory Saturday night to hand the Dodgers their first home loss of the season and their worst home shutout defeat in franchise history.

The Cubs finished with 21 hits, including nine for extra bases.

“The boys came out swinging, and it was pretty cool to see,” said Chicago’s Carson Kelly, who homered twice among his three hits and drove in three runs. “Kudos to our guys for working at-bats, really working counts, getting good pitches to drive and not missing them. We also ran the bases well and took our walks. … I think it’s just the mentality of this team that we’re going to fight to the end no matter what the score is.”

Michael Busch, once a top prospect in the Dodgers’ farm system, had four hits, including a homer and two doubles, and drove in three runs. The first baseman is batting .308 (12-for-39) with three homers, six doubles and 11 RBIs in 10 career games against the Dodgers.

Ian Happ had three hits and scored two runs, and Miguel Amaya replaced the injured Seiya Suzuki (right wrist pain) in the fifth inning and homered among his two hits and drove in three runs.

Kelly keyed a five-run seventh inning with a homer 384 feet over the left-field wall against Dodgers reliever Ben Casparius and then crushed a 391-foot homer on a floater from infielder-turned-pitcher Miguel Rojas for a two-run shot in the ninth.

“You have to take a quick swing, not a big swing,” Kelly said, when asked how hard it is to homer off a 40-mph pitch. “You have to find the right timing of it.”

The Cubs pushed their major league-leading run total to 112, which is 21 more than the second-place New York Yankees (91), and they have outscored opponents by 41 runs, a margin nearly twice as much as any team.

Busch, who homered off Dodgers starter Roki Sasaki for a 1-0 lead in the second, came within inches of a monster game when he was robbed of a grand slam by center fielder Andy Pages to end the third.

“I saw him [make the catch] — unfortunately,” said Busch, a former minor league teammate of Pages. “He’s a good player. I didn’t want him to do that, so we’re going to have to have a conversation.”

Sasaki (0-1) left with a 1-0 deficit after allowing one run and four hits in five innings, striking out three and walking two. However, the Cubs broke through against a Dodgers bullpen that entered the contest with a 2.15 ERA, the fourth-best mark in baseball.

Busch doubled and scored on Justin Turner‘s RBI single off Casparius for a 2-0 lead in the sixth, and Amaya (single), Busch (single), Dansby Swanson (single) and Nico Hoerner (sacrifice fly) drove in runs after Kelly’s leadoff homer in the seventh.

Kyle Tucker had a two-run single and Amaya a two-run homer in the eighth, and the Cubs teed off on Rojas in the ninth.

The offensive outburst backed a superb start by Cubs right-hander Ben Brown, who used only two pitches — a four-seam fastball that averaged 95.6 mph and a knuckle-curve that averaged 86.9 mph — to blank the Dodgers on five hits in six innings, striking out five and walking none.

Brown (2-1) gave up five runs and seven hits in four innings of his previous start, a no-decision against San Diego.

“Just trying to do the exact opposite of last week,” Brown said. “This past week was a grind working on things, mentally going through things, but I put in that effort, and it obviously showed tonight.

“I was able to slow the game down, slow the heart rate down, execute pitch by pitch and go back to where I was last year … when my stuff is there, we can get through lineups like that.”

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