Astros’ Yuli Gurriel injured in Game 5 win; Trey Mancini fills in with huge defensive play

PHILADELPHIA – The Astros are one win away from a World Series championship, but the status of their hot-hitting first baseman is up in the air.

Yuli Gurriel, who is hitting a team-best .347 this postseason (17-for-49), was removed from the Astros’ 3-2 Game 5 win Thursday night after appearing to take a knee to the back of his head while he was caught in a rundown between third and home.

Gurriel was eager to give his team an insurance run with his team clinging to a 2-1 lead when he led off the seventh with a double. He moved to third with one out and got caught trying to score on a Chas McCormick ground ball to third. Alec Bohm threw home and Gurriel had no chance, so he got hung up in a rundown long enough to allow McCormick to advance to second base. However, when Gurriel turned one last time, Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins collided with him as he was tagging him. Gurriel’s helmet came off during the collision and Hoskins’ left knee appeared to inadvertently hit Gurriel in the back of the head.

Gurriel stayed on the ground, sitting up, appearing to catch his breath and gather himself. He played in the field in the bottom of the seventh, but when the Astros finally got their insurance run in the eighth and his his spot in the order came up with two outs and a runner in scoring position, Gurriel was removed for pinch-hitter Trey Mancini, who entered the night 0-for-17 this postseason.

Mancini struck out to end the threat, but he came up huge in the bottom half of the inning. Mancini, who made just 36 of his 118 starts this season at first base, took Gurriel’s spot in the field and a possible game-changing hot shot was hit right at him. The Phillies had cut the lead to one and were threatening to tie the game or take the lead with runners on first and third and two outs. Kyle Schwarber, who homered early in the game, ripped a ground ball with 98.7 mph exit velocity right down the first-base line, but Mancini gloved it while falling to his knees before reaching out and touching the bag with his left foot to end the threat.

If Gurriel is unable to return for Game 6 on Saturday in Houston, the Astros’ options at first would include Mancini, Aledmys Diaz and possibly David Hensley, who hasn’t played a big league game there, but did play 18 games at first at Class AAA  Sugar Land.

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