Tip of the iceberg: Phillies 7, Astros 0

Game three of the World Series proved worth the wait. After rain caused a one-day postponement, the Phillies wasted no time in establishing dominance. Bryce Harper’s first inning home run was one of five smacked by the Phillies’ offense, starting pitcher Ranger Suarez pitched five superb innings, and the bullpen chipped in four shutout innings of their own. The result was a 7-0 demolition of the Houston Astros, giving the Phillies a 2-1 lead in the World Series.

This game was controlled by the Phillies from the very start. The very first pitch thrown by Suarez resulted in another now-signature sliding catch by Nick Castellanos. Suarez’s second pitch resulted in a ground out. It took him a few more pitches to retire Yordan Alvarez, but that at bat eventually ended with a strikeout.

Astros starter Lance McCullers Jr.’s first inning was not as successful. With one runner on and two outs, he faced Bryce Harper and Harper didn’t miss.

Perhaps more importantly, Harper was seen saying something to Alec Bohm. This led to speculation that McCullers might have been tipping his pitches.

McCullers probably hopes he was tipping his pitches, because he delivered arguably the worst start in World Series history.

The Phillies certainly gave him more than just the tip. Do you want to see the rest of those home runs? Of course you do!

Alec Bohm:

Brandon Marsh:

Kyle Schwarber (with bonus French announcing!):

And finally, Rhys Hoskins:

Maybe McCullers was tipping his pitches, but perhaps there was a simpler explanation:

Seven runs of support meant the Phillies got to stay away from Seranthony Dominguez and Jose Alvarado, who will almost assuredly be needed in the next two days. Instead, after Suarez completed his five innings, Conor Brogdon, Kyle Gibson, Nick Nelson, and Andrew Bellatti all chipped in scoreless innings of their own.

The bad news is that as dominating as the performance was, it only counts for one win. The good news is that the next two games will be at Citizens Bank Park, where the Phillies have yet to lose a game since these playoffs began. And based on how they played in game three, it doesn’t look like they’re planning to lose there again.

Two wins to go!