Phillies Fall In Series Finale To Athletics 5-4, Ending Nine-Game Win Streak
Philadelphia Phillies' Alec Bohm, center, celebrates after hitting a solo home run during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Athletics, Saturday, May 24, 2025, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Sara Nevis)
The Phillies have finally lost.
After sweeping back-to-back series and winning nine consecutive games, the Phillies were defeated by the Athletics 5-4 in the series finale of their three-game series. It was a back-and-forth battle between both teams, as the A’s picked up two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to regain the lead, and Mason Miller shut the door in the ninth to pick up the win.
Despite giving up three runs in the first, Jesus Luzardo battled back, tossing seven innings and 10 strikeouts. Trea Turner accounted for three of the Phillies’ four runs, hitting his fifth home run of the year in the eighth. Alec Bohm and Brandon Marsh both picked up two hits and scored a run in the loss.
While the series’ first two games saw the Phillies score first, the finale did not start that way. Six pitches were all Gunnar Hoglund needed to retire the Phillies in order, and in the bottom of the first, the A’s offense got after Luzardo in a hurry.
Jacob Wilson, the current favorite for AL Rookie of the Year, smoked a first-pitch leadoff home run to left-center field to make it 1-0 A’s. Brent Rooker and Miguel Andujar followed that up with singles to put two runners on. With two outs, Logan Davidson smoked a ball off the left field wall, over the head of Max Kepler, to score both Rooker and Andújar to make it 3-0 Athletics.
The Phillies got a run back in the top of the second without even recording a hit. Hoglund recorded back-to-back-to-back walks to Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos, and Kepler to load the bases. However, J.T. Realmuto then grounded into his 10th double play of the year, but a run scored to make it 3-1. Bohm then flew out to end the inning.
Luzardo allowed back-to-back singles in the bottom of the second, but picked up a huge strikeout against Tyler Soderstrom to get out of the inning. In the top of the third, the Phillies got another run, this time using hits.
Marsh smoked a double in the right field gap and moved over to third on a sacrifice fly from Bryson Stott. Trea Turner was up next, and he smoked a single back up the middle to easily score Marsh and make it 3-2 A’s.
Both teams failed to add on any more runs in the fourth, but in the fifth, the Phillies were able to tie the game up. Bohm and Marsh led off the fifth with back-to-back singles to put two runners on with nobody out. Stott then lifted a fly ball to center to move Bohm to third, and Turner did the same to bring Bohm in from third to tie the game at three all.
After allowing three runs in the first inning, Luzardo shook it off and continued to dominate the remainder of his outing. He picked up two strikeouts in the fifth against Soderstrom and Andújar, and in the sixth, he struck out the side, getting two strikeouts on foul tips.
The Phillies went down in order in the seventh, but in the bottom half of the inning, the Athletics threatened once again. Wilson and Rooker both singled to put two runners on, but Luzardo got Soderstrom to fly out for two outs. With Andújar up, Luzardo got an early strike call that was outside the zone, and A’s manager, Mark Kotsay, didn’t like the call and was thrown out by the home plate umpire. Luzardo then fired two more strikes past Andújar to pick up his 10th strikeout of the afternoon and end the seventh inning. Andújar argued balls and strikes after the strikeout and was also ejected from the game.
In the top of the eighth, after Stott led off the inning with a fly out, Turner picked him with a solo home run to left that gave the Phillies their first lead of the game.
Now up 4-3, the Phillies turned to their top reliever, Matt Strahm, to get them to the ninth. However, Strahm’s outing did not go the way he wanted it to. After getting Luis Urias to fly out to start the inning, he walked Davidson to put a runner on, and up came Lawrence Butler. Butler then smoked a triple down the right field to score Davidson to tie the game. Butler then waltzed home one batter later after a single from Willie MacIver to make it 5-4 A’s
Miller came on in the ninth to finish off the game. After picking up two quick outs, Bohm smoked a single back up the middle, and Rob Thomson brought in Johan Rojas to pinch run. Two pitches later, Rojas attempted to steal second base, but MacIver, who was making his major league debut, threw out Rojas at second to end the game, with the Phillies losing 5-4.
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Matt Brown
Matt has been a Philadelphia sports fan all his life and spent four years at Penn State University majoring in Broadcast Journalism and minoring in Sports Studies. He previously covered Penn State’s field hockey, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball teams while writing for a Penn State blog called Onward State. He has now covered the Phillies, Eagles, and Sixers for Philly Sports Reports since October 2024 and wants to pursue a career in Sports Journalism.
