One down, twelve more wins to go for the Fightin Phils.
The Phillies hosted the Miami Marlins for Game One of the National League Wild Card series on Tuesday night. Citizens Bank Park was loud and amped, as the fans became the 10th member of the team once again.
Major League Baseball decided to give the Phillies-Marlins series the primetime treatment. Each game of the series was listed at an 8 p.m. start time, and ESPN sent their A-crew to call the games.
With the whole nation watching, the Phillies delivered a 4-1 win to take the first game of a crucial three-game series.
Phils Strike First
While the Phillies have made plenty of magic this season by playing from behind, it was important to get out to an early lead in this game.
In the bottom of the third inning, Alec Bohm would get the scoring started. An RBI double down the left field line was plenty to drive in Johan Rojas from second, giving the Phillies a 1-0 lead.
The Phillies would come right back in the fourth and add two more runs.
Bryson Stott would drive in JT Realmuto on a single to center. Nick Castellanos would also try and score but was thrown out taking home.
It took a perfect throw from Marlins’ centerfielder Jazz Chisholm to nail Nick at home.
The final run for the Phillies came in to score in the bottom of the 8th. Giving the Phillies an extra insurance run, Nick Castellanos doubled in Bryce Harper to give the Phillies a 4-1 lead.
Wheels Up
Zack Wheeler once again proved why he is one of the best pitchers in all of Major League Baseball.
Wheeler was downright dominant in his performance against the Marlins.
He went 6.2 innings, allowing five hits, one earned run, and striking out eight batters. His only run would come in during the bottom of the 7th, and that was the only time Miami scored in this game.
In his postgame interview, Wheeler mentioned that when he stepped out to stretch before the game, the crowd went crazy.
He said the atmosphere and adrenaline that the fans provided helped lead to him throwing one of his best games this season.
Shutting the Door
The Phillies bullpen had been a bit shaky in September, but with Red October in full effect, they shut down the Marlins.
Jose Alvarado would come in with two outs and two runners on base in the top of the 7th inning. After a wild pitch allowed both runners to move into scoring position, Jose struck out Yuli Gurriel to end the threat.
Alvarado would then come out and get two more outs in the 8th inning. He would be relieved by Jeff Hoffman, who made his post-season debut.
Hoffman would get Jorge Soler to ground out into a fielder’s choice, ending the 8th inning.
Heading into the bottom of the ninth, Craig Kimbrel’s music would hit as “Welcome to the Jungle” took over Citizens Bank Park.
After allowing a leadoff double, Craig would retire the last three batters to end the game.
Kimbrel’s save was the 8th of his Major League career in the post-season and the 16th game he has finished in the playoffs. Adding another milestone on a Hall of Fame career.
Photo Credit: (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
