The stakes weren’t nearly as high as the last time he toed the rubber at Citizens Bank Park, but Cristian Javier looked as comfortable Thursday as he did during his combined no-hitter against the Phillies here in the 2022 World Series. Making his first start in Philadelphia since twirling six no-hit innings in Game 4 of that World Series gem, Javier carried a no-hitter into the fifth before the Phillies finally got to him. The right-hander still delivered his best start of the season on the same field that saw him post the best -- and most memorable -- start of his career. Javier’s six innings of one-run ball helped counter Phillies ace Zack Wheeler, who threw seven strong innings of his own. Cam Smith proved to be the hero of the day, drilling a solo home run against All-Star closer Jhoan Duran in the ninth to snap a tie score and lift the Astros to a 2-1 victory and a series win. “It felt like the playoffs,” Smith said. “Especially with this atmosphere, they had like 40,000 people here all week. It was really fun to play here against a good team like that. I think it brings that competitive nature out of all of us. We all want to play in this environment.” During the team’s bus ride to the ballpark on Tuesday, catcher Christian Vázquez reminded Javier of his remarkable World Series outing in Philly, sparking positive memories in the pitcher’s head as he prepared for Thursday’s start. Manager Joe Espada also couldn’t help but think back to Javier’s historic outing four autumns ago, even joking (?) about a repeat performance. “I remember the last time he pitched here,” Espada said before the game. “It would be great if he can go out there and duplicate that.”
