Phillies slam their way into NLDS, sweep Marlins in Wild Card
Photo via Philadelphia Phillies
In a span of 27 hours, the extremely confident Miami Marlins found out that Red October at Citizens Bank Park is a different animal.
The Phillies tore apart Miami, taking Game 1 Tuesday and crushing the Marlins in Game 2, 7-1, Wednesday night to eliminate them from the playoffs.
As the Marlins swim home for the offseason, the Phils move on to Atlanta for the National League Divisional Series, another postseason series against a division foe. However, these ones won 104 games in the regular season.
The Phillies were flat-out better and much more prepared on all sides of the ball. After Zack Wheeler opened Game 1 with six scoreless frames, Aaron Nola followed with seven more. Phillies pitchers faced the minimum three batters in 10 of the series’ first 15 innings. Wheeler and Nola combined to allow one run over 13 2/3 innings, put just 10 men on base and struck out 11.
The only three times where Nola faced trouble Wednesday, he immediately worked his way out of it. This was a rarity in the regular season. Jon Berti doubled with one out in the third but Nola caught him attempting to steal third before committing toward the plate. In the fifth, the Marlins had the tying run at the plate with one out when Jesus Sanchez grounded into an inning-ending double play. An inning later, Nola hit Berti to lead things off but it did not matter as Jacob Stallings grounded into a double play.
Nola has delivered three consecutive quality starts, something he did only once during the regular season back in April.
The bottom of the Phillies’ order delivered the game’s first run for the second straight night. Eight-hole hitter Cristian Pache led off the bottom of the third with a walk against Marlins left-handed starter Braxton Garrett. Garrett had located well in the first two innings before losing it all in the third.
Pache scored easily on a double down the right-field line by Kyle Schwarber.
The very next batter, Trea Turner, singled Schwarber home with a laser that rebounded off of Garrett into left field.
After Garrett was taken out of the game, J.T. Realmuto hit the first home run of the postseason.
Realmuto took former teammate David Robertson deep with a solo homer to left to open the bottom of the fourth. Realmuto also doubled in his first at-bat. He is swinging the bat much better as of late, which is really helping out this offense.
Then this one was broken open.
Bryson Stott‘s sixth-inning grand slam, the second in Phillies postseason history, had the Marlins waving the white flag.
The last time a Phillie hit a grand slam in a postseason game was Shane Victorino in Game 1 of the 2008 NLDS on CC Sabathia. This one included a bat spike.
The Wild Card was a team effort but the credit has to be delivered to the starting pitchers, Wheeler and Nola.
Their scoreless innings kept the crowd in it and the Phillies’ offense fed off of it.
The Phillies’ next opponent, the Braves, led the majors in runs and tied the big-league record with 307 homers. Game 1 is on Saturday, time is TBA, at Truist Park in Atlanta.
You go Phillies. ⚾️⚾️
That’s right!!!! Phillies are trying to win it all this year!