World Series: Astros head home to Houston leading Phils 3-2

By The Associated Press

The Astros and Phillies travel Friday to Texas, where Game 6 of the World Series will be played a night later. Houston is on the brink of its second title after winning 3-2 in Philadelphia on Thursday night to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven Fall Classic. The Astros’ 2017 championship was later tainted by a cheating scandal. Trey Mancini and Chas McCormick buoyed the Astros with clutch defensive plays in Game 5. Mancini preserved a slim lead in the eighth inning with what seemed like the play of the game, smothering Kyle Schwarber’s sharp grounder at first base to strand two runners. Then McCormick made the play of a lifetime, leaping into a chain-link fence in right-center to snag J.T. Realmuto’s smash in the ninth.