HOUSTON (AP) — Kyle Tucker got the fans jumping with a leadoff homer in the second inning. Then he hit a three-run drive in the third.
Ahead 5-0, the Houston Astros finally were going to win a World Series opener.
Instead, Tucker’s first two Series home runs weren’t quite enough.
J.T. Realmuto tied the score with a two-run double off Justin Verlander in the fifth, then hit a go-ahead home run in the 10th that lifted the Philadelphia Phillies to a 6-5 victory Friday night.
Tucker had gone without an RBI in last year’s six-game Series loss to Atlanta.
He went deep in Game 2 of this year’s AL Division Series against Seattle and put the Astros ahead against Philadelphia when he drove a changeup from Phillies starter Aaron Nola into the right-field seats.
Then in the third, Tucker capped a seven-pitch at-bat by sending a sinker from Nola soaring into Houston’s bullpen. He flipped his bat toward the Astros’ dugout and shouted in glee while rounding the bases.