When Astros center fielder Mauricio Dubón entered the game as a defensive replacement in the ninth inning of Game 2 of the World Series on Saturday, he made history. Dubón became the first Honduran-born player to appear in a World Series game, an accomplishment that has his native country bursting with pride. "It's crazy just hearing that you're the first-ever at anything," Dubón said. "I'm trying to enjoy the moment, trying to enjoy everything. For me to be that person is something special I'll never forget." Dubón lived in Honduras, playing at each level in every league, until he was 16 years old. He caught the eye of a Christian baseball mission group that came to Honduras, saw him playing and offered him to come play high school baseball in Sacramento, Calif., as a foreign exchange student. He played two years in high school and wound up getting drafted by the Red Sox in the 26th round in 2013. The Astros acquired him from the Giants this year. |
Dubón's parents, who both still live in Honduras, sent him to a bilingual school in Honduras, making the transition to the U.S. even more possible. He said the soccer-crazy country has embraced him more than ever. "It's crazy, especially now," he said. "Everybody is an Astros fan. Everybody is going crazy. I've got a lot of people that wanted to come. The Little Leagues over there are going crazy. If we win the World Series, it's going to be a lot more crazy." Dubon said his No. 14 Astros jersey is a hot seller in Honduras, and his success has even caught the attention of government officials. The Honduran consulate in Houston reached out to him and wished him well. "It's crazy how one whole week can change my whole life," he said. |
WORLD SERIES GAME 3 GUIDE |
Game 3, which will air on FOX at 7 p.m. CT, is scheduled for Monday. All games are available in the U.S. on MLB.TV (authentication to a participating Pay TV provider is required). Live games are also available in select countries outside the U.S. For full details, click here. Probable starters Astros: RHP Lance McCullers Jr. Phillies: RHP Noah Syndergaard Projected lineups |
1. Jose Altuve, 2B
2. Jeremy Peña, SS
3. Yordan Alvarez, LF
4. Alex Bregman, 3B
5. Kyle Tucker, RF
6. Yuli Gurriel, 1B
7. David Hensley, DH
8. Chas McCormick, CF
9. Martín Maldonado, C |
1. Kyle Schwarber, LF
2. Rhys Hoskins, 1B
3. J.T. Realmuto, C
4. Bryce Harper, DH
5. Nick Castellanos, RF
6. Alec Bohm, 3B
7. Bryson Stott, SS
8. Jean Segura, 2B
9. Brandon Marsh, CF More information on Game 3 can be found here. |
BUY YOUR WORLD SERIES TICKETS HERE |
Astros: The Astros finally got some production in Game 2 from their DH spot, only because manager Dusty Baker moved slugger Yordan Alvarez there. Don't be surprised to see Baker give rookie David Hensley a shot at DH in Game 3 as Trey Mancini (0-for-16) and Aledmys Díaz (1-for-18) have struggled in the postseason. Phillies: Rob Thomson has been asked about potential lineup changes throughout the postseason, but so far he has kept everything the same. If it worked in the past, he reasons, it can work again. |
Astros: McCullers (0-0, 2.45 ERA this postseason) will be making his third start of the 2022 playoffs, having pitched in clinching games in the ALDS and the ALCS. He threw six scoreless innings in the Astros' 18-inning win over Seattle in Game 3 of the ALDS and gave up four runs (three earned) on eight hits and one walk over five innings in Game 4 of the ALCS against the Yankees in New York. This will be his first start in the World Series since 2017, when he started Game 7 against the Dodgers and lasted 2 1/3 innings in Houston's championship clincher. Phillies: Syndergaard (0-0, 1.69 ERA this postseason) started Game 4 of the NLDS against the Braves on Oct. 15, when the Phillies clinched a trip to the NLCS. The right-hander pitched only three innings because he is not stretched out. He has thrown only 1 1/3 innings since then, so expect Game 3 to be a bullpen game for the Phillies. |
Astros: Baker pushed Bryan Abreu (Game 1) and Rafael Montero (Game 2) for 1 2/3 innings in each of the first two games, but Sunday's off-day should allow the Astros to reset their bullpen. If McCullers can give them six innings and get a lead, the Astros will have Abreu, Héctor Neris, Montero and closer Ryan Pressly lined up for the final four innings. Phillies: If we have learned anything in this postseason, it is that Thomson will be aggressive with his bullpen. So expect everybody to be available in Game 3, especially with a day off Sunday. For the majority of the postseason, Thomson has used right-hander Seranthony Domínguez and left-hander José Alvarado in the eighth and ninth innings. But in Game 1 of the World Series, he used Alvarado in the fifth and Domínguez for 1 2/3 innings. Behind those two are Zach Eflin, David Robertson, Andrew Bellatti and Connor Brogdon. |
Astros: Altuve went 3-for-4 in Game 2 of the World Series and needs one hit for 100 in his postseason career. He has the fifth-most hits in Major League history in the playoffs. … Bregman is 2-for-8 in the World Series and clubbed his 15th career postseason home run in Game 2, tying him with Babe Ruth and Jayson Werth for 14th all-time. … Peña's eight extra-base hits this postseason are the fourth-most by a rookie in a single postseason. … Alvarez's 18 RBIs since the beginning of the '21 playoffs are the second-most behind teammate Tucker (20). Phillies: Harper had his 11-game postseason hitting streak snapped when he went 0-for-4 in Game 2, his first game without a hit since Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series in St. Louis on Oct. 7. Harper hit .455 (20-for-44) with six doubles, five home runs, 11 RBIs and a 1.410 OPS during the hitting streak. … Domínguez has a 0.96 ERA in seven postseason appearances. He has struck out 18 without a walk in 9 1/3 innings. … Stott is batting .267 (4-for-15) with three doubles and three walks in his last five games. They aren't eye-popping numbers, but he has put together some really long at-bats. He worked a 12-pitch walk as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning in Game 2. |
• In postseason series with the current 2-3-2 format, teams splitting the first two games at home have still gone on to win 47 of 86 times (55%). The split obviously means there is a great deal at stake in Game 3. In all best-of-seven series tied 1-1, the winner of the third game has triumphed 68 of 98 times (69%). • The Astros are 6-6 all-time on the road in the World Series, having won five of their last seven Fall Classic games away from home. • The Astros are 2-9 in their last 11 games at Citizens Bank Park, having played two series there (2014 and 2017) since moving to the AL in 2013. |
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