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The Phillies Scored Eight Runs After I Asked For Someone with Guts in the Clutch
By Nick Piccone
Published:
After J.T. Realmuto gave the Phillies the lead in the top of the eighth inning on Tuesday night, I was ready to start my radio clip routine. “Man, I bet that Franzke call was a good one,” I said to myself. After listening to it, I knew it was the good stuff.
As I was preparing what I thought had a good chance to be the winning sequence of the game, Orion Kerkering walked his first batter and hit the next in the bottom of the eighth. He then surrendered a three-run homer to Jorbit Vivas, and the Phils were once again facing a two-run deficit.
Sure, it didn’t seem that bad considering they were down 5-0 at one point, but when a team comes back to take the lead after that deficit, they have to find a way to close it. As I stopped the project, I needed to vent somehow, so I sent this tweet out:
I know Kerkering had been pitching well and earned his chance for a more high leverage situation. The ghost of October reared its head in my mind and I figured, “Well, okay, I guess he’s just a middle innings guy.”
In addition to that, I had no faith this lineup could come back again with only three more outs to work with. Call it being too negative, but it just didn’t feel like they could pull out another comeback on this night.
But Trea Turner miraculously got a base hit. He got Brandon Marsh to the plate. And then:
OK. Great. I’ve seen this movie before. They can tie it up in the clutch, but if they don’t take the lead, they almost always wind up losing. So why even attempt the comeback, right?
Enter Bryson Stott:
Edmundo Sosa added a two-run double and Turner got another hit (!) as Sosa would eventually score to cap an eight-run ninth inning, and cement a 14-9 win in improbable fashion.
So maybe *I* deserve a Thank You.
Nah, this isn’t a bit. It’s just great timing. Ask and you shall receive. I don’t plan on watching many more eight-run ninth innings the rest of the season, but I wouldn’t be mad about it. As long as it’s the Phillies doing the scoring.
Hell of a win.
Nick Piccone has covered Philly sports and events for over 15 years with various outlets, including PhillyVoice.com and PhillyInfluencer.com. In 2015, he co-launched the Straight Shooters Podcast, focused on covering the professional wrestling industry. He was a producer at Fox Sports Radio Philadelphia and currently produces broadcast and social media content for the Villanova Sports Radio Network. He grew up in South Philadelphia and South Jersey, and is a graduate of Neumann University. Contact: picconenick@gmail.com