*Photo from the San Diego Union Tribune*
Philadelphia wins series 4-1
There's a party in Philadelphia 13 years in the making. Rhys Hoskins homered, Bryce Harper hit the game winning homer, and the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the San Diego Padres with a 4-3 victory on Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia.
At the 50 game mark of the season, the Phillies were 21-29. Joe Girardi was replaced by Rob Thomson. There were questions around pitching and defense. They were the last team in the playoffs. But, they're still dancing through the night in the city of brotherly love.
After losing game two in San Diego, the Phillies were headed home with the series tied 1-1. They won the next 3 games to win the series in 5 games and win their first NL Pennant since 2009, where they lost to the New York Yankees in the World Series. They're looking for their first World Series win since 2008, when they took down the Tampa Bay Rays.
One man who will help them get there is Harper. Thanks in part to the series clinching homer, Harper took home NLCS MVP honors after the game. You could make a case for Hoskins as well, but Harper ended the series with a .400 batting average with two homers, 5 RBI's, and 4 runs scored in 5 games.
Thomson described Harper after he won the NLCS MVP, saying that he is "As good as it gets. I mean, he's proved to me over and over and over again that there's no moment that's too big for him, and he's come through so many times. You just kind of expect it when he goes to the plate."
After the first two innings went scoreless, Hoskins started the scoring with a bang. He homered to left field with Kyle Schwarber on base, giving the Phillies a 2-0 lead to work with. Juan Soto cut into that in the 4th inning, leaning into a solo home run to right center field, getting the Padres on the board and making the score 2-1.
The 7th inning saw the Padres grab hold of some momentum. Josh Bell doubled to right field, scoring Jake Cronenworth to tie the game 2-2. Jose Azocar became a pinch runner for Bell, and later scored on a wild pitch to give the Padres a 3-2 lead. That set the stage for Harper, who delivered a two run home run in the 8th inning, putting the Phillies ahead 4-3 and in the drivers seat to clinch the series.
Harper said of clinching the NL Pennant that "You dream about it, but you also dream about that next step. You dream about the next one. I’m looking forward to the next one. This is great. To be the last National League team standing right now, the Philadelphia Phillies, we’re here. We’re ready to go in that next round. We’ve got four more."
Zack Wheeler got the start in the clinching game for the Phillies, allowing two runs on 3 hits in 6+ innings pitched. Seranthony Dominguez allowed one run while finishing the 7th inning. Jose Alvarado pitched a scoreless 8th inning, with David Robertson and Ranger Suarez finished the 9th inning.
For the Padres, they sent Yu Darvish to the mound with their season on the line. Darvish allowed two runs on 4 hits and 3 walks, striking out 5 hitters in 6 innings pitched. Robert Suarez pitched the final two innings, allowing the homer to Harper in the 8th inning.
Padres starting pitcher Joe Musgrove said that "It's never easy losing. But I think this team was so special this season. For the fans in San Diego, this is obviously a tough time. They wanted to see us go all the way. We wanted that more than anybody. But they have a lot to be excited about, about this team and what’s to come."
Up next, the Phillies move on to the World Series for a matchup with the Houston Astros, with game one on Friday. Meanwhile, the Padres head into the offseason with a chance to make another run at it in 2023.
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