After a Series Defined by Heroics, the Phillies Could Have a New Goal: The NL East
Brad Mills/Imagn Images
When Nationals’ manager Blake Butera pulled Foster Griffin from the game with one out in the eighth inning of game one of this series, Phillies’ play-by-play broadcaster Tom McCarthy made sure to mention the Nationals’ biggest kryptonite: the bullpen.
While that did not prove the burn the Nationals in game one, with Butera’s squad earning a 4-1 victory to open the series, it certainly defined the rest of the series. In the next three games, the Phillies went on to hit four game-tying or go-ahead home runs in the ninth inning, the most by any team in a single series in MLB history.
It started on Tuesday, when the Phillies managed to erase a five-run deficit in the top of the eighth and a two-run deficit in the ninth. In fact, Nats’ reliever Brad Lord was one strike away from securing a game-two victory, when Brandon Marsh, with one on and two outs, pulled an 0-1 sweeper into the right-field stands to tie the game. Three batters later, Bryson Stott mashed a three-run blast to give the Phillies a commanding lead going into the bottom of the ninth.
The following day was even more tense. Down a run in the top of the ninth, Phils’ outfielder Derek Hill was down to his final strike when Richard Lovelady left a 93-mph fastball in the middle of the zone, and Hill launched a go-ahead, two run home run. In the home half of the ninth, Jhoan Duran closed the door by striking out all three Nationals hitters he faced.
“It’s been a couple of crazy nights here in the ninth for us,” said Phillies’ interim manager Don Mattingly. “[Hill] has been working. When we acquired him, I knew he would play all three outfield spots, hit left-handed pitching, [and] he’s actually been okay with the righties, too.”
Mattingly, like the rest of us, probably thought the Phillies were all out of “crazy nights” when the Phils found themselves right back in the same position in game four. By the seventh inning, the Phillies had come back from being down five runs thanks to a Brandon Marsh home run and some small ball in the seventh. With the game tied in the ninth, it was none other than Bryce Harper whose opposite-field home run in the top of the ninth gave the Phillies a 7-5 lead. After J.T. Realmuto and Derek Hill added some insurance runs, Tim Mayza came in to secure the series win in what turned out to be a historic series.
With everyone’s focus being on the Phillies’ three consecutive miraculous comebacks, what has flown under the radar is the National League East standings. In fact, with how poorly the Phillies’ season began, everyone’s sights have been set on the Wild Card standings, but an opportunity to win the East for the third year in a row may not be as far-fetched as some may think.
Right now, the Phillies trail the Braves by just four games for the first-place spot. Atlanta has lost seven of its last ten games, and three of their five series before the all-star break will be against teams with a record over .500. On the contrary, the Phillies have six series to go before the break, with only one of those teams, the Pittsburgh Pirates, boasting a winning record.
Of course, taking control of the East before the break would still be quite the task, but it’s certainly doable.
Nonetheless, the Phillies seem to have finally found their groove. Even after a rough series opener, the Phillies managed to follow with three electric wins, a characteristic only the best teams show.
When interviewed postgame, Bryce Harper’s message was simple but quite profound: “We’re coming. Watch out.”
Colin Daly
Colin is an editor and the lead Phillies writer for Philly Sports Reports. He has been covering sports since 2020 and has been with PSR since the summer of 2021. As a lifelong Philly fan, he has a strong passion for the core four and does not miss a game. Colin is a co-host of the Bell Ringers podcast.
Get new articles emailed right to your inbox.
