On Saturday afternoon the Phillies started their much anticipated playoff run. They had high hopes going into this series with their season record being 7-6 against them and having one of the best records in the whole league. Zach Wheeler would be the starting pitcher in this game. He has a 16-7 record, which is one of the best pitching records in the league. The Phillies struggled in the beginning of the game to score runs, but Kyle Schwarber hit the third pitch of the game for a 425 foot home run and gave the Phillies an early lead. Wheeler pitched a great game and allowed 0 runs in the first 7 innings. However, in the 8th inning, Phillies manager, Rob Thompson, decided to put in Jeff Hoffman who gave up one run. Hoffman was then replaced by All-Star reliever, Matt Strahm. He then gave up 2 runs after Brandon Nimmo hit a rbi single and Pete Alonzo hit a sacrifice fly to get another run in making the score 3-1. The final score of this game was 6-2 and the Mets took a 1-0 lead in the series.
“It was stunning, it was, to see Hoffy and Strahm give it up like that, but that’s baseball sometimes. They haven’t given it up like that since we’ve had them,” said Thompson, a third year manager for the Phillies.
Game 2 of the series was Sunday. The Phillies hoped to get back and tie the series. The starting pitcher for this game would be All-Star pitcher Christopher Sanchez. Sanchez had a record of 11-9 and a 3.32 ERA, which is a top 20 ERA in the league. The game was scoreless for both teams until the top of the fifth inning when Mark Vientos and Alonzo both had two home runs and made the game 3-0. In the same inning, the Phillies evened the score after Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos hit back to back home runs, tying the game at 3-3. The Phillies then added a couple more runs and made it 6-3. The Mets retook the lead when Nimmo hit a solo home run and Vientos hit a 2 run home run, making the game 6-6. In the bottom of the 9th, Castellanos hit a single to left field, and the Phillies won the game 7-6 and tied the series 1-1.
“They have a slow heartbeat and they understand situations and they just keep battling. It’s a very resilient club,” said Thompson about the comeback; this is his third year managing the Phillies in the playoffs.
Game 3 of the series was in New York on Tuesday night. The pitcher for this game was Aaron Nola. He has a 14-8 record, which is one of the best in the league. The Phillies hoped to get a win tonight in order to take the lead in the series. The game started out bad for the Phillies, especially on offense. The Phillies didn’t score a run until the 8th inning, and the Mets thrived all game on offense. Their runs started in the second inning when Alonzo hit a solo home run and in the fourth inning when Jesse Winked hit another solo home run, making the score 2-0. The home runs didn’t stop there. Starling Marte and Jose Iglesias both hit two run home runs, making the score 6-0 in the bottom of the 7th. The Phillies finally got some runs on the board in the top of the 8th when Harper and Castellanos both hit rbi singles and made the score 6-2. Most already knew the game was over, but the Mets scored one more when Francisco Lindor hit a double and drove in a run. The final score of the game was 7-2, and The Mets took a 2-1 lead in the series. “I told them they’re the most resilient club I’ve ever been around,” said Thompson; he continues to speak on the team’s resilience.
Game 4 of the series was on Wednesday night. This game was the most intense as it was a win or go home game for the Phillies. If they lost this game, then their season would be over. The pitcher for this game was Ranger Suarez; Suarez was by far the best pitcher in the first half of the season, but after suffering injuries, he struggled a little bit. He came into this game with a 12-8 record and a 3.46 ERA. The Phillies took the lead in the top of the fourth inning after Harper scored on a fielder’s choice. Suarez threw one of his best games all season, allowing no runs and having 8 strikeouts. The Phillies then took out Suarez in the bottom of the fifth and put in Hoffman. The Phillies then put in Carlos Esteves in the bottom of the sixth. This is when the Mets got their chance and took the lead. Lindor came up to bat in the bottom of the sixth inning with the bases loaded and hit a home run to left field for the grand slam and gave the Mets a 4-1 lead. There would be no more runs scored this game, and the Mets took a 4-1 win and won the series 3-1. The Mets will now go onto face the Padres with a chance to go to the World Series for the first time since 2015. “This is amazing. This is an amazing day,” said Lindor after hitting his Grand Slam; Lindor is in his 14th season.
Obviously, this isn’t how the Phillies expected to end the season. There were many high hopes of a World Series this season with some of the best pitchers and hitters in the league. Many fans are hoping the Phillies will make some changes and work very hard in the off season to have the desired outcome next season.
