Yu Darvish of the San Diego Padres throws a pitch at Citi Field in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City, the US on October 7, 2022. Photo: AFP

The San Diego Padres erupted for five runs in the fifth inning to erase a two-run deficit on the way to an 8-5 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies that leveled their Major League Baseball playoff series on Wednesday.

The victory in San Diego knotted the best-of-seven National League Championship Series at one game apiece with the series shifting to Philadelphia on Friday.

The winner of the series will face either the New York Yankees or Houston Astros in the World Series.

The Astros took a 1-0 lead in the American League Championship Series with a 4-2 victory in Houston.

Astros pitcher Justin Verlander struck out 11 batters and gave up one run in six innings and Yuli Gurriel, Chas McCormick and Jeremy Pena all belted solo home runs in the victory.

Verlander notched his first post-season victory since game one of the 2019 AL Division Series and at 39 became the second-oldest pitcher in post-season history with a double-digit strikeout game, behind Nolan Ryan.

The game was tied in the sixth inning when Gurriel and McCormick homered off Yankees relief pitcher Clarke Schmidt. Pena led off the seventh with a homer off Lou Trivino for a 4-1 lead.

In San Diego, the Padres' Austin Nola and Juan Soto drove in runs to end Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola's day in the fifth inning.

Austin Nola's single off his younger brother Aaron scored Kim Ha-seong to pull the Padres within 4-3.

The Nola brothers became the first pitcher-batter brother duo to face off in MLB post-season history, and Austin Nola said he knew he'd be tested by his brother.

"He's going to come after me and give his best stuff," he said. "I'm just up there trying to hit something hard, up the middle, and that's when good things happen."

Austin Nola reached third on Jurickson Profar's single and scored on Soto's double to pull the Padres level.

Brandon Drury, who homered along with teammate Josh Bell in the second inning, added a two-out single that drove in Profar and Soto to give the Padres their first lead of the game at 6-4.

Designated hitter Bell followed with a run-scoring single that made it 7-4.

Manny Machado also homered for San Diego.

"That's what makes it a championship-caliber team," Bell said. 

Six of the Padres' eight runs were scored off Aaron Nola, who had previously allowed just one earned run in 12 2/3 innings in these playoffs.

Philadelphia had raced to an early lead with four runs in the second inning off San Diego starting pitcher Blake Snell.

Both Soto and Drury were charged with errors in the messy inning in which Snell gave up five hits and the Padres heard boos from their home fans.

But Snell settled down to pitch five innings without surrendering another run. He struck out six and walked one and was credited with the win.

AFP