The two biggest surprises from Atlanta / Houston were a pair of relievers. The Braves got some excellent relief work from Kyle Wright. The Astros got some work out of Phil Maton III.
Should either of these guys been there? At the Summit of the baseball season? Wright had made only two appearances all year. Maton was 6-0, which by itself usually guarantees appearances. However, Phil had an ugly earned run average.
Kyle made two appearances for the Atlanta Braves in 2021, but it proved to be a little out of his league. It was a Brave New World for the young pitcher, and that 9.95 earned run average in two starts probably should have been the end of any thoughts of him making it to the postseason roster.
"But Wright was eligible for postseason play," wrote Mark Inabinett, "as a member of Atlanta’s 40-man roster. He had not been on the Braves’ 26-man eligibility roster during the National League playoffs. But Atlanta replaced pitcher Jacob Webb with Wright for its World Series 26."
And it wasn't as if Kyle hadn't had postseason experience at the Major League level prior to '21. In 2020, a year shortened due to Covid, he made an appearance in game three of the Division Series vs. Miami. Actually, it was a fine outing. He started, went six shutout innings, allowed just three hits. Atlanta won, 7-0 for a sweep. Wright's next outing brought him back to earth with, as they say in the novel, A Separate Peace, "A sickening thud".
The Los Angeles Dodgers hammered him for seven runs in just two-thirds of an inning. Wright had been 2-4 in 2020, but with a high ERA (5.21). Still, the earned run average was better in '20 than it was in '21!
Phil Maton III started his 2021 season in Cleveland. The reliever was 2-0 with the Indians (Now Guardians), before being traded to Houston. The Astros used him 27 times. But the earned run average was not good in either stop. It was 4.57 with the Indians and 4.97 with the Astros. 4.73 overall.
But then came the postseason. Houston added him, and it payed off. In three appearances against the Chicago White Sox in the American League Division Series, that ERA was 0.00. Against Boston for the pennant, it was 2.45 in four appearances. The Astros overcame the Red Sox in six games. World Series, here comes Houston, again (They'd made it as recently as 2019).
Unlike Maton, Kyle Wright hadn't appeared in the postseason in 2021, prior to the World Series. Phil even appeared before Kyle did in the Fall Classic. Maton watched as Joc Pederson, no stranger to postseason heroics, flied out against Jake Odorizzi to start the top of the sixth. The Braves, on the road, were looking to add to a 5-1 lead. Dansby Swanson, though, gave Houston reliever Jake Odorizzi (Who actually was a starter for the Astros during the regular season, before being relegated to bullpen duty in October) all the could handle.
When Swanson singled, that was it for Odorizzi. The call went out for Phil Maton. Jorge Soler went down on strikes. But, Freddie Freema singled, and Maton faced a challenge. Two on, two out. Sure, Atlanta had a four-run lead, but things could get interesting here, real quick. Ozzie Albies got ahead in the count 2-0, but it was Maton that came up with the right pitch, and the batter grounded out.
Phil came back for the seventh, but it the previous inning had been tough, then this one was something else. After getting Austin Riley to fan, Houston went to work on the reliever. First, Eddie Rosario hit a double. Then, Adam Duvall walked. Maton was outta there. Ryne Stanek got the Braves out of that mess. Atlanta went on to a 6-2 win, but Maton had a tough time. Though he'd retired three men, Phil allowed two hits and a walk. No runs scored against him, however.
Both Maton and Kyle Wright got into game two. Maton improved. Again no runs scored against him, this time in two-thirds of an inning pitched in the seventh. However, he took a backseat to Wright. Kyle showed him how it's done. 1-2-3 went the Astros on twelve pitches in the ninth. All on strikeouts.
So Houston won, 7-2. Each team had a rout to their name so far in this 2021 World Series. Houston didn't need Maton. Atlanta didn't need Wright. It was a superb game from a pitching point of view. Atlanta, at home, won it 2-0. Yet, oddly, neither starter made it past the fifth inning. Both bullpens got used a lot more than you'd think in such a low scoring game. The Astros managed only two hits.
Dylan Lee started game four for the Braves, but didn't last. He got one batter out in the top of the first, but the other three he faced reached base (Two walks and a single). The bases were loaded and help was needed.
It might have seemed like a bold move at the time by skipper Brian Snitker, as he went to the bullpen for Kyle Wright. However, the move would soon look like it was made by a genius.
One pitch away from walking in a run, Wright got Carlos Correa to ground out. One run scored, and there were two more men in scoring position, with two out. Kyle Tucker fanned. A huge strikeout!
The Astros got two men on in the second, and even loaded the bases in the third. But Kyle was the "Wright" guy for these situations. He escaped without allowing a run. His luck ran out, however, in the fourth. Houston didn't get a man on. Well, sort of. The second batter of the inning, Jose Altuve, blasted a home run. It was a solo shot, and the Astros led, 2-0.
The fifth inning started out easy, but Houston turned it one big adventure.
Kyle fell behind in the count, 2-0 on Yordan Alvarez. Then Wright got it going. Sinker, 93 miles-per hour. Taken. Strike! 2-1. Knuckle curve, fouled off. 2-2. A fastball (That was high) also was fouled off by Alvarez, and the count held at 2-2. Finally, to finish off the batter, Wright came back with his knuckle curve. It was low and in the dirt. Alvarez swung, and missed. One out.
Carlos Correa lasted just two pitches. He grounded out to Dansby Swanson at short. Two outs. From here, it looked like it would be a simple inning for Kyle. But then Kyle Tucker singled. He stole second, and in the process, a throwing error by catcher Travis d'Arnaud and suddenly, there was a man on third. With the count 2-0, Yuli Gurriel was then purposely passed. It was time for some bullpen action for Atlanta. Chris Martin (All 6 '8 of him) started to throw.
Marwin Gonzalez (Who hit only .199 in the regular season) batted for pitcher Zack Greinke. It was time for a mound visit. Pitching coach Rick Kranitz came out to talk things over with Kyle Wright.
Wright missed with his first two pitches, and was behind in the count, just like against Alvarez to start this fifth frame. Both pitches were knuckle curves, and the second one didn't miss by much. Was Kyle going to walk someone who couldn't even hit his weight? Perhaps Martin would make an early appearance? Well, Wright stuck with his guns. "Kyle Wright," said Joe Buck, "trying to get through this fifth." The next two pitches were knuckle curves as well.
The first was 82 miles-per-hour, and it was called a strike on the outside corner. The 2-1 offering was also 82 MPH, but Gonzalez just fouled it off. The count was even, 2-2. Wright abandoned the pitch that had gotten him to this stage of the at-bat. He went with the four-seam fastball on the fifth pitch, as the crowd was on their feet. The pitch was in the strike zone, but low. Gonzalez swung, and flew out to Eddie Rosario in left.
Martin, who was 2-4 in the regular season, took over for Atlanta when Houston batted in the top of the sixth. Phil Maton didn't enter the game for the Astros until the bottom of that inning. The Braves trailed 2-0, but put two on with only one out. Maton came in and fanned Ozzie Albies, but then Austin Riley brought home Eddie Rosario with a single. Joc Pederson batted next, and he certainly was no stranger to postseason heroics. So Maton walked him intentionally. d'Arnaud batted and ended the inning by striking out. It was still, 2-1 Astros.
Cristian Javier took over on the hill for Houston in the seventh, but Atlanta took the lead when they scored twice. From there, each teams' bullpen held the fort, and the Braves squeaked by, 3-2. The win put Atlanta one game away from winning it all.
After game four, the Houston had some praise on the Braves' relief pitcher. “We didn't know a whole bunch about him,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said. “We know he's been up and down. We know he has outstanding stuff, which we were told and which we saw in the video. We were also told that sometimes he can get wild with his pitches. Tonight, he threw the ball well. When he came in and got out of that bases-loaded [jam] with that sinker he threw in on Carlos, we could tell right there that he had good stuff.”
So Houston would have to dig deep. I don't think falling behind 4-0 in the first (Via Adam Duvall's grand slam) was what the visiting team had in mind. Meanwhile, Atlanta starter Tucker Davidson faced three batters in the first, getting Carlos Correa to hit into an inning-ending double play (Top the inning, that is).
Come the top of the third, it was Correa knocking in a run off Jesse Chavez to get the Astros to within a run. They'd knocked out starter Davidson earlier. So we had a ballgame after all. When Yuli Gurriel grounded out, Michael Brantley scored. 4-4.
Houston finally took the lead in the top of the fifth, but this one was a long way from over. Being as it was in Atlanta, the pitchers would have to hit, so you had teams going to the bullpen left, right and centre. Pitcher Zack Greinke was even used to bat for pitcher Yimi García in the fourth, and he singled. As Jose Altuve batted an inning later, Houston had Marwin Gonzalez on first and Martín Maldonado on second. The Astros were up 7-5. Dusty Baker no doubt wanted more offence, as no lead was safe at this point. Gonzalez had batted for the pitcher (And come up with a big two-run single), so the 'stros would have to send out a new pitcher when the Braves grabbed some lumber this frame.
The count was 2-0 on Altuve, who then took a fastball from new pitcher Chris Martin, who was trying to stop the bleeding. It was in for a strike. Viewers got a look at the man loosing up in the Houston bullpen.
Phil Maton.
So, Houston was turned the ball over to a pitcher who had an earned run average of nearly five in the regular season. To stop the Braves from winning this game and the World Series. Atlanta's bats had cooled a bit as the game moved on. The Braves had gotten three hits in the last of the first, but now were stuck at five after four and a half innings. You'd think that maybe they'd have some luck with Maton.
Ozzie Albies, who hit from the left side, came up with one away in the bottom of the fifth. The Braves' fans, eager for some offence, when into their battle cry. "Ahhh...Ohhhhhhhahooo!" However, the right-handed pitcher was not the least bit phased. Phil got ahead of Ozzie 1-2, then blew a 92 mile-per hour fastball by him. Maybe even lefties couldn't hit Phil. "This guy's really impressed when he's been in," said John Smoltz of Maton in the Fox broadcast booth, "when he's' been in and he's utilized the weakness of guys like Albies, who I think if he faced him [Maton] ten times, would have a hard time getting one or two hits, based on the style that Albies hits and the style that Maton pitches."
But it wasn't just Ozzie Albies that struggled against Phil. Austin Riley doubled, but then Eddie Rosario, a left-hander, hit one that Maton had no trouble fielding. The 1-3 putout ended the inning.
Travis d'Arnaud managed to get a hit off the sizzling reliever, but Maton escaped the sixth without giving up a run. He'd fanned two more hitters. Maton's night came to an end as Chas McCormick hit for him in the top of the seventh. Houston seemed inspired by Phil's pitching exploits. They tallied two more runs the rest of the game. Atlanta? They were shutout the next three innings. What started out as a rout for the Braves ended up as a bit of a laugher for the Astros, who were 9-5 winners.
"The Houston bullpen dominated," wrote R.J. Anderson & Dayn Perry as a subheading. And they compared the bullpens. "All five of the Braves' runs were charged to Astros starter Framber Valdez, who lasted just 2 2/3 innings. After Valdez was lifted, five Astros relievers combined for 6 1/3 shutout innings. Along the way, they gave up just four hits and struck out six with no walks. Particularly key were Phil Maton and Kendall Graveman, who each worked two innings. For the series, the Houston bullpen now boasts an ERA of 1.75, which is more than a full run lower than Atlanta's mark of 2.76."
Sadly, game six would be a bit anticlimactic. The Braves, on the road, decided it with three runs in the top of the third. Jorge Soler's three-run home run would put Atlanta ahead for good.
By the fifth inning, it was 6-0 for the Braves. Phil Maton came in, but seemed like the move was too late. There was a runner on second, two away, and Austin Riley up. Riley hit Maton's 2-2 pitch to centre, just a little to the right. Jose Siri, the Astros' centre fielder, caught it just where the warning track begins.
"Maton has been sensational," Joe Buck said, "Came on last inning and finished off the top of the fifth...His stuff is sneaky good," the Fox play-by-play man added. Well, maybe the Braves thought otherwise. Adam Duvall greeted him with a single in the top of the sixth. With one away, Albies came through with one of his own. Dusty Baker could have pulled Phil, but the kid had pitched out of so many jams in the World Series. Why would this be any different? Baker left him in. Travis d'Arnaud fanned. Two down. Dansby Swanson was next. Maton fell behind in the count 2-0, but then came up with a slow slider. It was not by itself a good pitch, as it was up and caught a lot of the dish. However, Swanson merely hit a hard grounder to Carlos Correa, who went to first basemen Yuli Gurriel at first. "More big outs by Maton," said Buck.
This ended up being it for Phil. And Kyle Wright seemed almost like the forgotten man at this point. The game ended up going all for Atlanta, 7-0. Though starter Max Fried lasted just six innings, the Braves used Tyler Matzek and Will Smith to slam the door on Houston.
Both Maton and Wright ended up with 5 2/3 innings pitched, although Phil pitched in five games to Kyle's two. Each has since build of their success in the coming years. Maton appeared in a career-high 67 games for Houston in 2022, and this time the Astros won it all. A freak injury sidelined him for all of the postseason, however, but Phil returned to Houston this season, and has looked strong.
Kyle Wright went on to win 21 games for the Braves in 2022. Early in the 2023 season he's gone on the injury list after just five games pitched. Atlanta, fresh off a 101-win season, look to return to the postseason for the sixth consecutive season. Houston reached that number last season, and is looking to make it eight postseason appearances in the last nine seasons.
References
Anderson, R.J. “World Series Score: Astros Rally vs. Braves in Game 5, Stay Alive After Allowing First-Inning Grand Slam.” CBSSports.com, CBS Broadcasting Inc, 1 Nov. 2021, https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/world-series-score-astros-rally-vs-braves-in-game-5-stay-alive-after-allowing-first-inning-grand-slam/live/. 07 May, 2023.
Inabinett, Mark. “Former State Prep Star Strikes out Side in World Series.” Advance Local, Advance Local Media LLC, 28 Oct. 2021, https://www.al.com/sports/2021/10/former-alabama-prep-star-strikes-out-side-in-world-series-for-atlanta.html. 07 May, 2023.
Monnin, Kaitlyn. “Braves News: Kyle Wright Diagnosed With Shoulder Strain, Raisel Iglesias Activated, More.” Battery Power, Vox Media, 6 May 2023, https://www.batterypower.com/2023/5/6/23713468/atlanta-braves-news-kyle-wright-raisel-iglesias-braden-shewmake-travis-darnaud-more. 07 May 2023.
“The Official Site of Major League Baseball.” MLB.com MLB Advanced Media, https://www.mlb.com/. 07 May 2023.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. 07 May, 2023.
2021 World Series. Fox Broadcasting Company, 2021, https://www.youtube.com/. Accessed 07 May, 2023.
Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, https://en.wikipedia.org/. 07 May, 2023.
YouTube, Google, https://www.youtube.com/. 07 May, 2023.
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