World Series reunion: Former Phillie Héctor Neris has found a home in Astros bullpen

HOUSTON — About halfway through the National League Championship Series, Seranthony Domínguez gave Héctor Neris a phone call. Neris, who was Domínguez’s Phillies teammate from 2018-21, picked up, but he already knew what he was going to hear.

“Be ready,” Domínguez said. “The Phillies are coming for you.”

Neris laughed. The Phillies hadn’t even won their series against the Padres yet. It all seemed a bit premature. But Domínguez insisted that his Phillies and Neris’ Astros would both be in the World Series, and a few days later, his prediction was proved to be correct.

The Astros clinched a playoff spot in mid-September, but Neris had been following the Phillies’ playoff run from afar. It’s understandable why the right-hander would. In all, Neris spent 11 years of his life in the Phillies organization. His tenure spanned their entire playoff drought.

Back then, Neris talked to his Phillies teammates about his dreams of reaching the postseason. Domínguez, who debuted in 2018, was one of those teammates. So was José Alvarado, who was traded to the Phillies in late 2020.

Sitting in the Phillies clubhouse late after games, Alvarado and Neris would take those dreams one step further. In their minds, making the postseason wasn’t good enough. They wanted to play in the World Series.

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“We used to try to imagine what it would be like,” Neris said Thursday. “When [Domínguez] was in Houston [for the last series of the regular season], we talked about it then, too.”

What was once a dream has become reality. On Friday night, Neris, Domínguez and Alvarado will take the field wearing uniforms with “2022 World Series” stitched onto their sleeves. It feels fitting that they are all here together, even if they’re on opposing teams.

The three relievers had plenty of time to get to know one another while sitting in the Phillies bullpen. Both Domínguez and Alvarado consider Neris a mentor. Domínguez said he learned one of his earliest big league lessons from Neris, back in 2018, when Domínguez was just a hard-throwing rookie.

The Phillies were playing the Rockies in Colorado, and Domínguez arrived late. He saw the pitchers stretching and began to run to join them, but he stopped running about 100 feet away. Neris told him that stopping 100 feet away wasn’t acceptable. Domínguez was in the big leagues now. He would need to run the whole way.

It was a small gesture but one that stuck with the young reliever.

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“Héctor was an inspiration to me,” Domínguez said. “He taught me a lot when we were together.”

Neris’ time in Philadelphia was not without its flaws. While he set the bar for most strikeouts by a Phillies reliever with 520, Neris also blew a number of saves in horrific fashion, and he often did it in bunches. He lost the closer’s job more than once. He became synonymous with the Phillies’ bullpen woes.

But since he has arrived in Houston, Neris has looked like the best version of himself. He finished the season 6-4 with a 3.72 ERA. He’s throwing more strikes, keeping hitters off-balance, and he’s doing it at age 33.

And now he gets to test that out against a lineup he knows as well as any.

“I told him to be prepared,” Domínguez said with a smile. “I’m happy he’s having success. He’s a friend of mine, and a great person, but he’s our rival now.”