It was a magical night at Citizens Bank Park. I was there for the best Phillies win of the year, and one of the greatest, thrilling and exciting wins in Phillies history.
It was typical, inconsistent 2019 Phillies through the first seven innings last night.The club scratched out aa run in the 8th and set themselves up for the miracle comeback victory in the 9th.
Chicago's Yu Darvish shutout the Pils for 7 innings. He was at 92 pitches when manager Joe Madden took him out of the game.Why, who knows> The Cubbies bullpen imploded, as did their defense.
It took a village to get close in the 9th inning. With one out Cesar Hernandez got on base when the Chicago shortstop booted a routine grounder. Why didn't Javier Baez play? Then credit Scott Kingery for hanging in there. After striking out three times on the night, Kingery rifled a single to right-center field. Brad Miller came up to pinch-hit and squirted a single off the second baseman's gloved. Roman Quinn did the same exact thing, cuing a single through the infield, just out of reach of the Cubs' second baseman.
Then Rhys Hoskins got hit by a pitch on his right hand ( xrays were negative). Much of this assault occurred with two strikes on the hitters. Cub relievers just couldn't put the Phillies away.
Meanwhile the crowd was being worked into a frenzy by the scoreboard. Many people stayed for the post-game concert by Diplo ( sorry, I passed on Diplo). On a normal Friday night, the stands would've been barren. Oh well, the Phils took 2 of 3 from Chicago. Same old inconsistent Phillies, scoring 11 runs one night and only scoring one tonight. It would've been so easy to give up, as a few fans did who left before the 9th inning.
Bryce Harper had different ideas. He loves such game-winning situations. Here he was, up in the 9th inning, one out, the Phillies trailing 5-3 with the bases loaded.A big game to win, a tough game to lose, with the Cubs two games ahead of Philadelphia in the wild card race.
With the fans going crazy, Harper fouled off a few pitches until Cubs reliever Holland threw him a hittable sinker. Harper didn't miss it, crushing the ball high into the night, the titanic blast finally landing in the right field second deck for a walk-off grand slam to give the Phils a 7-5 comeback win.
The ball was hit so damn high, at first i thought it was going completely out of the stadium. "Oh my God!"I gasped in awe. H
H arper swings so hard he had to either strikeout or hit a blast. I would've settled for a game-tying single, but Harper had other plans.
The ball was dangerously close to the right field fair pole. It had the distance now everyone just waited for the ball to land and the umpire to give the home run signal.
Harper sprinted around the bases, head down, jumped, dancing and gesturing to his teammates and to the roaring crowd. The other powder blue clad Phils greeted him at home plate to celebrate, eventually dousing him with a bucket of ice water.
Bryce was so excited, like a Little League ballplayer, the players all over him after he crossed home plate. Harper called it "One of the coolest moments of my career."
It was easily the best ending to a Phillies game I ever saw. I was lucky to be there, in Section 119, to witness the spectacle.
Some items to illustrate how special and rare last night was:
When the 9th inning began the Cubs' winning probability was at 99%. Talk about overcoming the odds!Chicago had gone 489 straight games of not losing when they had a four-run lead in the 9th inning. Holland had not surrendered a homer to a lefty in two years. The last time the Phillies hit walk-off grand slam when trailing in the 9th inning to overcome a lead and win was in 1983 when Ozzie Virgil Jr. did the fete.
Truly a magical night. It leaves the Phillies only a game off the final wild card spot. They sweep the Cubs for the first time since 2015. They win three in a row as San Diego and Manny Machado comes to town.
Is it Charlie Manuel? The Phils are undefeated since they hired Charley as their new hitting coach. Uncle Charley brings a relaxed attitude to the clubhouse. Plus he knows hitting. And he's a winner.
Is it just a coincidence? There's a different feeling at the ballpark now, one which manager Gabe Kapler may not screw up. It's a feeling of renewed energy, a feeling that things will work out for the Phils in the end.
Is playoff baseball bound for Philadelphia this fall?
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