CNN
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It was an anxious and exciting night to be a Philadelphia or Houston sports fan on Thursday, with a high-stakes two-sport showdown played at the same time that gave Houston a World Series advantage and kept Philadelphia perfect on the grill.
In Pennsylvania, it was Game 5 of the World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Houston Astros, each looking to take the lead in a 2-2 series. Meanwhile, in the NFL, the Houston Texans hosted the league’s only undefeated team, the Philadelphia Eagles.
The result for these fans: a split.
The Astros beat the Phillies 3-2 to take a three-to-two series lead, building on their momentum after missing the Phillies in Game 4 on Wednesday.
Philadelphia rallied within a run and had Bryce Harper on base in the bottom of the ninth, but a sensational wall hold by Astros outfielder Chas McCormick helped preserve Houston’s victory as the clock ticked midnight.
“I was planning anything at the time,” McCormick said after the game. “I saw the wall. I saw the warning track. It was just high enough for me to walk in, reach out and pick it up.
Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander earned his long-awaited first career World Series win after pitching five innings with six strikeouts and giving up a run. He told reporters he received the “rookie treatment” from his teammates after the game.
“They put me in the cart and rolled me in the shower and just sprayed me with all kinds of things, and it was one of the best feelings of my career,” he said. . “I really love these guys. I love our team.
The Fall Classic returns to Houston on Saturday, where the Astros could wrap it up in Game 6.
As the World Series rolled around Thursday night, the Eagles held off the Texans in Houston 29-17 to start 8-0 for the first time in franchise history.
The Texans — largely in a rebuilding phase after trading suspended quarterback Deshaun Watson to Cleveland — would hold firm against the favorites.
The game was tied at 14 at halftime after the Eagles missed a 54-yard field goal attempt on the final play of the first half, and Houston trailed just 21-17 after three quarters.
But Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts extended the lead with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Dallas Goedert, then raced down the middle on the next play to secure the 2-point conversion. Eagles defenseman James Bradberry sealed the victory late in the game, catching a pass from Texans quarterback Davis Mills in the red zone.
Hurts, a star quarterback in college, said after the game he was happy for the city, but added that he had “been 8-0 before and lost a national championship”, pointing out that the Eagles still had work to do.
“Take it day by day. We haven’t achieved anything yet,” he said. “It’s a day-to-day thing where we’re in control of the things we can, playing at our level, trying to grow every day.”
Hurts finished the night 21 of 27 passing for 243 yards and two touchdowns.
The Texans fall to 1-6-1.