The Astros’ Game 3 starter wasn’t tipping pitches in his disastrous outing against the Phillies. They’d just realized how he wanted to pitch them.
PHILADELPHIA — We love conspiracy theories. They are to cognition what paint-by-numbers are to art. Quick, easy fun. World Series Game 3 was one of those made-for-crayon opportunities.
Bryce Harper homered off the first pitch he saw from Lance McCullers Jr., then said something to teammates Nick Castellanos and Alex Bohm in apparent urgency. Twenty Phillies batters came to the plate against McCullers, the Houston starting pitcher. Five of them homered.