The Philadelphia Phillies lost a great opportunity to take a 3-1 lead in the National Championship Series, letting a three-run lead slip away and allowing the Arizona Diamondbacks to create a two-way tie everywhere at the heart of this 4 of 7 clash.
A 412-foot slap, good for two points, from Alek Thomas against reliever Craig Kimbrel allowed the locals to tie the game, it was 5-5. Thomas entered the game as a relief hitter in the eighth inning and jumped on a 104 mile per hour fast from the bullpen while bringing euphoria to the stadium.
Just before this sequence, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo brought Thomas near the dugout to give him some advice. The result was stunning.
A few moments later, it was catcher Gabriel Moreno’s turn to hit a timely hit that gave his team the lead. The former Blue Jays prospect became the youngest catcher in history to have such a productive post-season run. So far, Moreno has produced eight runs and hit three home runs.
The Diamondbacks won by a score of 6-5.
Reliever José Alvarado was the victim of Moreno’s game-winning hit. Let’s say that the Phillies’ succession faltered at a very bad time yesterday.
Young Orion Kerkering allowed the Diamondbacks to score a third run in the game in the seventh inning by giving a walk with the cushions all occupied. The momentum then changed in favor of the locals and we know the rest.
Conversely, on the winning side, Paul Sewald closed the books brilliantly in the ninth inning by striking out the first two batters to face him before giving up a double to Kyle Schwarber. The former Mets and Mariners then hit Trea Turner in the mitt to end the game.
Sewald’s fastball swung at 95 miles per hour at most, but it had a lot of bite and it moved a lot.
This same Schwarber was productive on offense by hitting two hits in the game, including his fourth home run of the 2023 series.
In total, both teams used 36 players during this game, including 16 pitchers.
It’s difficult to remember the names of the starters for this clash because the traffic was so intense on the mound.
Cristopher Sánchez (two and a third innings) and Joe Mantiply (one inning) only passed.
Tied 2-2, the Phillies and D-Backs will face off again tonight in Arizona, as Zack Wheeler (Philadelphia) and Zac Gallen (Arizona) have been designated to face each other.
It is therefore assured that the series will subsequently be transported to Philadelphia for the following match(es).
