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Scott Franzke and Oscar Budejen Were in Playoff Mode on Monday Night
By Nick Piccone
Published:
Heading into this four-game series against the Mets, I wasn’t sure how much I’d be emotionally attached to an outcome. The Phillies had a seven-game lead in the NL East and some of us are more focused towards the teams closest to us in the first-round bye sweepstakes. But, it’s always a fun time when you have a chance again at a rival – especially one that handed you an ass-whoopin’ just a couple of weeks ago in their own stadium.
So, naturally, in a 1-0 game in the 9th inning where Jhoan Durán just gave up a single and double to put the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position with one out, the season felt completely over if he were to blow another save – this time against the Mets. But he didn’t. He struck out Jeff McNeil and Francisco Alvarez back-to-back to seal the win. And Scott Franzke was just a bit dialed up, too, because of it.
As my colleague Luke Arcaini so eloquently put it, Franzke was in postseason mode:
What’s better than Fall Franzke? Well, Oscar Budejen is pretty damn close.
Eight games up in the division. Won’t lose ground against the Dodgers or Cubs. Gained ground on the Brewers, who lost to the Rangers.
Monday night felt… Octoberish.
Nick Piccone has covered Philly sports and events for various outlets for over 14 years. He covered professional wrestling for PhillyVoice from 2015-2021, and co-launched The Straight Shooters podcast in 2015, covering the entire pro wrestling industry. He also produces content for Fox Sports Radio Philadelphia and 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