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MLB: Astros, Phillies win big to reach brink of World Series

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Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Philadelphia Phillies J.T. Realmuto (L) celebrates with his teammates outside the Phillies dugout after hitting a solo home run off San Diego Padres relief pitcher Steven Wilson in Game 4 of the NLCS at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, 22 October 2022. Jason Szenes, EPA-EFE." src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/life/10/23/mlb_philadelphia-phillies_epa.jpg"/><figcaption>Philadelphia Phillies J.T. Realmuto (L) celebrates with his teammates outside the Phillies dugout after hitting a solo home run off San Diego Padres relief pitcher Steven Wilson in Game 4 of the NLCS at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, 22 October 2022. Jason Szenes, EPA-EFE.</figcaption></figure></div> NEW YORK -- The Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros advanced within a victory of the World Series thanks to Major League Baseball playoff triumphs on Saturday in vastly different fashions.Rhys Hoskins smashed two home runs as Philadelphia outslugged visiting San Diego 10-6 while Houston pitchers allowed the host New York Yankees only one hit over eight innings in a 5-0 shutout.The Phillies seized a 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven National League Championship Series against the Padres, while Houston took a 3-0 edge over the Yankees in the American League Championship Series.The Astros can complete a sweep on Sunday in New York to reach the World Series for the fourth time in six seasons, while the Phillies -- in the playoffs for the first time since 2011 -- can reach the World Series for the first time since 2009 with a Sunday home triumph.&quot;It was a big win for us,&quot; Houston&#x27;s Cristian Vazquez said. &quot;Every night we have a big chance to win. We have big pieces on the team and we&#x27;re in a good place now. It&#x27;s a special team.&quot;J.T. Realmuto and Kyle Schwarber added solo homers to Hoskins&#x27; pair of two-run Hoskins homers as Philadelphia rallied after trailing 4-0, matching their greatest playoff comeback victory ever.&quot;Just persistent at-bats,&quot; Realmuto said. &quot;As soon as we got down 4-0 we got back in the dugout and we just kind of regrouped as a team and said, &#x27;There&#x27;s a lot of ballgame left. We&#x27;re going to score runs today.&#x27;&quot;We just never lost that confidence.&quot;The Astros, in the ALCS for a record sixth consecutive season, won the title in 2017 but lost in 2019 and last year.Chas McCormick smacked a home run and Christian Vazquez drove in two runs for Houston while 25-year-old Dominican right-hander Cristian Javier, making his first start in three weeks, hurled 5 1/3 shutout innings, striking out five while allowing only one hit, and five relievers completed a three-hit shutout.&quot;He&#x27;s got one of the best fastballs and sliders in the game,&quot; catcher Vazquez said of Javier. &quot;So attacking hitters, that&#x27;s the key for him, and getting ahead.&quot;McCormick&#x27;s two-run homer in the second inning, a bases-loaded sacrifice fly by Trey Mancini in the sixth and a two-run Vazquez single to left field in the sixth provided all the scoring Houston needed.The Yankees, winners of a record 27 MLB titles, have not reached the World Series since beating Philadelphia for the 2009 crown. They have lost their past four ALCS appearances, the past two to Houston.- Phillies rally to win -At Philadelphia, it was a slugfest from the start as the Padres grabbed a 4-3 lead after the opening inning.Manny Machado smacked a solo homer, Brandon Drury belted a two-run double and Drury scored on Kim Ha-seong&#x27;s single to give San Diego a 4-0 edge.Philadelphia answered in the bottom of the first on a two-run Hoskins homer and a Bryce Harper run-scoring double, then equalized in the fourth when Nick Castellanos doubled and scored on Bryson Stott&#x27;s single.San Diego&#x27;s Juan Soto smashed a two-run homer in the fifth to give the Padres a 6-4 lead, but Hoskins equalized on a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth.Realmuto then walked and scored on Harper&#x27;s double to give the hosts their first lead. Castellanos then singled in Harper for an 8-6 Phillies edge, with Schwarber and Realmuto adding solo homers in the sixth and seventh innings respectively. © Agence France-Presse

The Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros advanced within a victory of the World Series thanks to playoff triumphs on Saturday in vastly different fashions.