Gibson Might Start World Series Game 5 for Philadelphia Phillies, but Don't Panic

What would have to happen for Kyle Gibson to start World Series Game 5 for the Philadelphia Phillies?

Following the postponement of World Series Game 3, Philadelphia Phillies Manager Rob Thomson announced that the team's slated starters for the remainder of the series would change.

Instead of Noah Syndergaard, who was originally scheduled to take the ball in Game 3, Ranger Suárez will start on Tuesday. Aaron Nola, who struggled in his first start in Game 1, will pitch on Wednesday in Game 4.

Seems like a solid plan, right? Well, Game 5 is when things get a little questionable, with Thomson's intended game plan making Phillies fans a bit nervous.

Given that his velocity dropped, Zack Wheeler will get an extra day of rest and start a potential Game 6 in Houston. Syndergaard will start Game 5. However, if the right-hander is used in relief during Games 3 or 4, a distinct possibility, Kyle Gibson will take the hill to face the Astros in Game 5.

The 35-year-old MLB veteran had a horrid month of September for the Phillies, pitching to a 9.73 ERA across six starts. It was by far his worst month of the 2022 season, and he took himself out of contention for a potential playoff start. 

During his lone postseason appearance in October, Gibson pitched 1.1 innings, allowing a hit, walking one, and striking out one against the San Diego Padres in Game 2 of the NLCS. The Phillies lost the game, 8-5.

Gibson has only one other postseason appearance: in 2019 with the Minnesota Twins. He came on in the seventh inning against the New York Yankees in NLDS Game 1, surrendering three runs on a hit and three walked batters, not an ideal playoff resumé.

Gibson, the former Twin and Texas Ranger, has faced the Astros 13 times in his career, and surprisingly, is 4-3 in those starts with a 2.45 ERA across 80.2 innings pitched. In 2021, the right-hander faced them four times—pitching to a 2.16 ERA in 25 innings of work. He did struggle with the free pass though, awarding 13 free bases in those appearances.

Of course, regular season starts are much different compared to starting in the postseason — in the World Series, no less — but Thomson wouldn't hand Gibson the ball if he didn't trust him. Much like Syndergaard, Gibson would likely only face the Astros' lineup one time through, and be limited in his pitch count.

A Gibson-starting-World-Series-Game 5 scenario would only happen if Syndergaard is used in long relief in Games 3 or 4, which is probably an emergency option if Suárez or Nola aren't able to go the distance and they need somebody to eat innings. 

The bullpen also got an extra day of rest due to the postponement of Game 3, so they will be rested up and good to go for three straight home games at Citizens Bank Park. 

So, the chances of Gibson starting Game 5 seem slim. Funnily enough, though, the Phillies performed better in Gibson starts than they did in Nola starts this season. They were 16-15 in games started by Gibson and 15-17 in games started by Nola. Could a new hero emerge in November?

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