Phillies Take First of Doubleheader over Giants on Justin Crawford’s Walk-Off
Apr 30, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies center fielder Justin Crawford (2) reacts in front of umpire Jen Pawol after hitting a walk off RBI single during the ninth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
The Philadelphia Phillies, after shutting out the San Francisco Giants Tuesday night and a day full of rain, came all the way back in the ninth inning to turn the game around and get a 3-2 win on Thursday afternoon.
Game 1 of the Phillies and Giants’ day-night doubleheader did not seem like it would end up in the Phillies’ favor, as the Giants had been the better team for most of the game, but with the resilience of the pitching staff and the late-game fight from the offense, Justin Crawford walked it off.
In a game that started off all Giants, the Phillies gradually got their game back in a game filled with back-and-forth threats and a milestone that got the Phillies right back in it. Pitching from Cristopher Sanchez, Orion Kerkering, Tanner Banks, and Chase Shugart would mean a lot, as the bullpen went scoreless Thursday, with Shugart getting the third out on a strikeout in the ninth with a runner on third.
In the bottom of the ninth, Adolis Garcia knocked a leadoff hit, then the struggling Bryson Stott shot a ball fair into right field for a triple to tie the game, scoring Garcia. Crawford, who recorded a walk-off on April 1, would earn his second, this time with his speed as he reached on a ground ball hit softly to short.
The Phillies clinched their first series win since April 5 with the win. They’ve also won consecutive games for the first time since April 3-4.
New Phillies’ manager Don Mattingly is 2-0. The Phillies, now at 11-19, still have a lot of work to do, but the pitching changes and overall new setting show a lot of light after a period of disappointment that looked as if it would not change.
Even with the Phillies’ ace on the mound, the Giants were able to get on Sanchez right from the jump, as a leadoff double from Heliot Ramos led the way for another base hit from Matt Chapman, in which both of them would cross the plate as the Phillies would only have one out two more batters later with the score already 2-0 in favor of the Giants.
After the first inning, Sanchez would go back out and get his game back. In 5.2 more innings, Sanchez would shut out the Giants, only allowing two walks and one hit in that span, and striking out seven batters, finishing his day on a positive note with 6.2 innings and two runs allowed on just 85 pitches.
With the Phillies’ starting staff struggling to throw innings consistently this season so far, they have now had back-to-back games where the starting pitcher has reached the seventh inning. After the firing of manager Rob Thomson, the Phillies have looked to restyle their game, rather than pushing the panic button completely, and it has translated to pitching extremely well.
Sanchez kept all the confidence in the world that he would be himself for the rest of the game and found a way to stay up until the seventh, showing the fight and resilience of the star pitcher who looks to be his best in this attempt to rebound the season.
Sanchez was able to go back out and deal to the Giants after the first inning, not only because of his resilience, but also because of Kyle Schwarber, who brought the Phillies right back in it after being down 2-0 early.
With little effort, Schwarber was able to hit a no-doubter into the second deck, 406 feet out of the park for home run number 350 in his Major League career. With the power and timing of the home run, this can be considered a microcosm of the 349 home runs before this one, as Schwarber’s swing has always looked calm and relaxed, but the distance and velocity would tell a different story.
Schwarber’s 10th home run of the season, which happened right out of the gate in the first inning, ended up going a long way, keeping the Phillies right in it up to the ninth, where Crawford and Stott would do their part to walk off the game for the Phillies.
The Phillies, under Mattingly, have won both a shutout and a walkoff, meaning that there is only more to come, and that can come later Thursday at 5:30 PM, as the Phillies look for the sweep over the Giants for Game 2 of the doubleheader.
Luke Raidy
Luke has covering the the Flyers and Phillies for Philly Sports Reports since 2025. He is a junior at North Penn and being a huge Philly sports fan has brought so many experiences, such as going to the NLDS, NLCS, and even the World Series in 2022. He has also met former superstars in the city of Philadelphia, such as Wayne Simmonds from the Flyers. Though being a student-athlete, Luke enjoys his time where he is writing and reporting on Philadelphia sports.
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