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Phillies Clinch 2nd-Straight NL East Title in Extra Innings Thriller
By Luke Arcaini
Published:
The Philadelphia Phillies clinched their 2nd-straight NL East title on Monday night in a thrilling 6-5 win over the Dodgers.
The night started off with Kyle Schwarber’s 53rd home run of the season to put the Phillies up 1-0. Schwarber has now homered in three straight games and is 5 home runs away form tying Ryan Howard’s all-time Phillies record for most home runs in a single season.
There is a very good chance that the Phillies and Dodgers could meet again in the postseason, specifically the NLDS. If that series is anything like Monday night’s game, it’s going to be back and forth and probably make you want to rip your hair out.
The Dodgers took the lead in the 5th with a home run from Max Muncy, followed by a sac fly from Mookie Betts. A Bryson Stott single off of a lefty in the 7th brought the Phillies to within 1, and a Weston Wilson 2-run homer in the next at-bat gave the Phillies a 4-3 lead.
Orion Kerkering entered the game in the 7th and threw one of the best pitches of his career to Shohei Ohtani, freezing him on a fastball for the second out of the inning. Unfortunately, Kerkering would miss his spot to Mookie Betts in a 1-0 count, and a solo homer would re-tie the game at 4.
Bryce Harper talked with Ken Rosenthal earlier in the week about Schwarber’s success this season, and more specifically about how Harper is just trying to remember to be himself during games. He knows he doesn’t need to be the hero every night, he just needs to be Bryce Harper.
The lights were bright in the 8th, and Bryce Harper smoked a solo homer to centerfield to give the Phillies a 5-4 lead, which was ultimately the winning run.
Jhoan Duran entered the game in the 9th and struck out Max Muncy to start the inning. He then threw a hanger to Andy Pages, who got every ounce of this pitch and tied the game.
Harrison Bader and Bryce Harper converted a huge double steal in the 10th inning, setting up a sacrifice fly for JT Realmuto to put the Phillies up 6-5.
David Robertson had the 10th inning for the Phillies, and for the 2nd year in a row, the Phillies have won the National League East.
What a win. If a night like that doesn’t make you think this team can win a World Series, then I don’t know what will.
The magic number for a first round bye is down to 7, and the NL East race is over.
Luke Arcaini writes about the Phillies for Crossing Broad, covers the Phillies for FOX Sports The Gambler, and co-hosts "Phillies Digest" on YouTube. The wave is the worst thing in all of sports. Contact: lukearcaini8@gmail.com