Back in front of their fans to face the champions of the last World Series, the Philadelphia Phillies won their first series victory at home in the last 11 years.
The hosts scored no fewer than six runs in the lone third set and chased Spencer Strider off the mound. The Rookie of the Year contender gave the Phillies five runs and was the victim of a three-run long ball from Rhys Hoskins.
Moments later, Bryce Harper mimicked his teammate by hitting reliever Dylan Lee’s offering on the other side of the fence, giving his team an insurmountable lead.
We know the rest, the Phillies won by the score of 9-1 and take the lead by 2-1 on the Atlanta Braves who will face elimination today.
For his part, Aaron Nola was in control on the mound for the surprising Phillies. He who largely contributed to the elimination of the Cardinals of Saint-Louis, did not allow the attack of the Braves to take off. Nola was solid for six innings, giving up just one run on five hits to the visitors and striking out six batters.
In addition to Hoskins and Harper, Nick Castellanos contributed in a big way to the victory for his team by producing two points. In his first season in Philadelphia, Castellanos has been doing well since the start of the playoffs, he who wants to forget a rather ordinary season.
Today, in a one-night stand for the Braves, manager Brian Snitker will give the ball to veteran Charlie Morton. The latter will face right-hander Noah Syndergaard, who like Castellanos, is also in his first season in a Phillies uniform.
The Braves offense will have to shake itself up in order to allow the team to stay alive. Syndergaard’s record is 10-10 this season and his ERA is 3.94, meaning the visitors can score against the tall blonde.
Winning today would rightly make the Phillies the Cinderella team of the 2022 playoffs, having gone through a managerial change and been plagued by injuries to key players. In addition, they fought until the last minute with the Milwaukee Brewers to carve out a place in the playoffs.
