NLCS Game 4
Down 2-1, Zack Wheeler faced Anthony DeSclafani in Game 4. After a quiet first three innings, the Phillies began to make some noise in the top of the fourth. With two outs, Nick Williams hit a double to keep the inning alive. Scott Kingery then came up to the plate and smacked a Kinger Dinger to left field, giving the Phillies a 2-0 lead. Jean Segura added a solo home run of his own in the top of the fifth, increasing the Phillies’ lead.
Wheeler had a strong showing through five innings. At the bottom of the sixth, however, his wheels popped a flat. After a leadoff single by Joey Votto, Wheeler walked Castellanos and Suarez to load the bases. The Phillies once were rumored to get Mike Moustakas in real life, moments like this were why. Moustakas smacked a grand slam to right-center field to give the Reds a 4-3 lead.
DeSclafani pitched seven strong innings as the Reds looked to Iglesias make his third consecutive save over two-innings. Jean Segura, however, had other ideas. With a 2-0 count, Segura smacked a solo home run, tying the game at 4-4. With the blown save in had, Iglesias managed to work through the ninth inning as the NLCS entered extra innings.
Both teams allowed a walk in the tenth inning, but not much else as the game entered the 11th inning. Andrew McCutchen led off for the Phillies in the top of 11th. Channeling his inner “Uncle Larry”, McCutchen pummeled a 3-2 pitch for a solo home run, giving the Phillies a 5-4 lead. David Robertson pitched the final out in the tenth, and returned in the 11th, allowing a leadoff double but stranding the runner there as the Phillies won the game 5-4, tying the series at 2-2.
NLCS Game 5
With the series tied at 2-2. Howard and Castillo faced off in a Game 1 rematch. Castillo, however, would not record an out. Nick Maton hit a leadoff single off Castillo before Jean Segura moved him to third with a double. J.T. Realmuto managed a 3-2 walk to load the bases for Didi Gregorius. Gregorius batted in Maton and Segura on a line-drive double. He and Realmuto then scored on a single by Andrew McCutchen. With a 4-0 lead, Nick Williams delivered the knock-out blow, hitting a two-run home run to take Castillo out of the game.
The Reds’ bullpen did not allow any runs for the remainder of the first or the second inning. Andrew McCutchen tacked on a solo home run in the top of the third to give the Phillies a 7-0 lead. In the bottom of the third, Joey Votto reached on a lead-off infield single. He would later score on a sacrifice fly from Eugenio Suarez. Tucker Barnhart and Shogo Akiyama scored in the bottom of the fourth, cutting the Phillies’ lead to 7-3.
Spencer Howard pitched 6.1 innings of three-run baseball. He allowed five hits and two walks while striking out six batters. Ranger Suarez came in to finish the game, and pitched 2.2 innings of no-run baseball.
While a 7-3 lead was enough the Phillies did not stop there. In the top of the eighth, the Phillies knocked on five additional runs courtesy of a two-run home run by Roman Quinn, and a three-run home run by J.T. Realmuto. Quinn and Deivy Grullon scored two more runs in the top of the ninth. The Phillies secured a 3-2 NLCS advantage with a demanding 14-3 victory.
NLCS Game 6
Moving back to Philadelphia, the Phillies held the advantage in Game 6 of the NLCS. Arrieta and Bauer held a rematch with a World Series birth on the line. The Reds struck first as Joey Votto and Derek Dietrich reached base to start the top of the first. Sacrifice flies from Eugenio Suarez and Tucker Barnhart scored them both giving the Reds the early 2-0 lead.
In the bottom of the first, the Phillies would respond as Jean Segura reached base on a double. J.T. Realmuto then batted in Segura on a line drive single to bring the Phillies within one run. Solo home runs by Shogo Akiyama and Nick Castellanos increased the Reds’ lead to 4-1 over the course of the second and third innings.
Arrieta pitched into the fifith inning when he was removed in favor of Nick Pivetta. Akiyama hit his second solo home run of the day to increase the Reds’ lead to 5-1 before Pivetta finished the fifth. In the bottom of the fifth, the Phillies’ offense began to get into gear as Scott Kingery scored following a leadoff double.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Phillies, the Phillies executed on a leadoff hit-by-pitch to J.T. Reamuto. Following a Didi Gregorius single, Andrew McCutchen slipped a double down the left field line to score Realmuto. Gregorius scored on a Kingery ground-out to bring the Phillies within 5-4 before Trevor Bauer was taken out of the game.
Fast forward to the bottom of the eighth, and the Phillies are down to 5-4 with only four outs to go. Nick Williams hit a two-out single, bringing Scott Kingery to the plate. Fighting from an 0-2 count, Kingery managed to get to a 3-2 count against closer Rasiel Iglesias. Kingery took Iglesias deep for Kinger Dinger, giving the Phillies the 6-5 lead.
With a one-run lead, Hector Neris came in to pitch the top of the ninth. Eight pitches later, Neris completed the save, punching the Phillies’ ticket to the World Series for the first time since 2009.
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Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports
