Expected to win his third Cy Young Award this month, Justin Verlander overcame an early jolt and rookie Jeremy Peña hit a go-ahead homer and drove in two runs as the Astros beat the Philadelphia Phillies 3-2 Thursday night to head home with a 3-2 Series lead.
“I can say I got one,” Verlander proudly proclaimed.
Buoyed by defensive gems from Trey Mancini in the eighth inning and Chas McCormick in the ninth, the Astros moved to the brink of their second championship — the other was a scandal-tainted title in 2017. They can close out the Phillies on Saturday night at Minute Maid Park.