PHILADELPHIA – Flashback to October 7th, 2022. The bases were loaded for the Phillies in St. Louis, trailing the Cardinals by 2 runs. With 1 out in the 9th, Alec Bohm stepped to the plate with a chance to get his team back in the game.
Ryan Helsley, the Cardinals’ closer, missed up and in on Alec. He hit Bohm with a 101-mph fastball, cutting the lead to 1. As the story goes, the floodgates would open, leading to a massive 9th-inning comeback from the Phillies.
In 2022, the young third baseman appeared in huge spots for the Philadelphia Phillies. The club would not have made the World Series without his efforts, and it was a strong run for a playoff debut. In 2023, however, Alec did not have the same impact as his first go-round in the post-season. A home run in Game 7 of the NLCS helped salvage an underwhelming playoff performance.
After making his first All-Star team in 2024 and anchoring the Phillies’ lineup for a large majority of the season, there are expectations for Alec Bohm to perform in the post-season. Some of his teammates like Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos, and Bryson Stott have created moments that will go down in franchise history. For Bohm, however, his re-introduction to the post-season isn’t turning the tides in his favor.
NLDS Game 2
When the lineup was posted on Sunday morning, everyone was stunned to see Edmundo Sosa was starting at third base.
Rob Thomson said the team needed a spark, and he felt like Sosa could be the one to bring the energy. This meant that Alec Bohm would start the game on the bench. After going 0-4 in Game 1, everyone expected Alec to come into Game 2 with a chance to make an impact.
He would enter Sunday’s game but went 0-2 in his two at-bats. The frustration was evident in Alec’s overall appearance, as he often wears his emotions on his sleeves.
At the end of the day, however, the Phillies won the game, and Alec Bohm will have the opportunity to redeem himself.
Bohm Needs His Moment
For the next 50 years, Phillies fans will proudly tell anyone who wants to hear where they were during Game 2 of the 2024 National League Division Series. The replays of Harper’s home run, Castellanos’s tying blast, Stott’s triple, and Nick’s walk-off hit will be played over and over.
Alec Bohm needs to have his replayable moment in the coming games. The series is still wide open and the fact of the matter is the New York Mets won’t be going down quietly. The next two games will take place in Citi Field, where Chase Utley, Pat Burrell, and Rhys Hoskins made names for themselves in red pinstripes. Bohm can not only have his moment but could do it in enemy territory.
When the Phillies’ third baseman is rolling, he is one of the best contact hitters in baseball. Leading the league in doubles for the majority of the season, Alec can drive the baseball with the best of them. The Phillies will need that production come Tuesday and Wednesday.
The club is 10 wins away from a World Series championship. The road ahead is going to be a tough one. But if the Phillies can get All-Star production and an all-time moment from Alec, that path gets a little bit easier.
Photo Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
