Well, the ride isn’t over yet.
The Phillies successfully forced a Game 4 in the NLDS, as they finally broke their postseason losing streak and secured their first playoff win since Game 2 of last year’s NLDS. The offense broke out for eight runs, Kyle Schwarber homered twice, and Aaron Nola and Ranger Suárez teamed up for seven innings of one run ball. Schwarber, Trea Turner, and Bryce Harper combined to go 7-13 with 5 RBIs, four runs scored, and two walks. And that was all with the team still stranding
nine runners on base. The Phillies still have a long way to go and have history against them in their attempt to win the series, but they will live to fight on at least one more day.
That additional day will see them send Cristopher Sánchez to the mound in need of yet another win to force the series back to Philadelphia for a winner-take-all Game 5. It will be a partial rematch of Game 1, as Tyler Glasnow will start for the Dodgers. Glasnow came in out of the bullpen after starter Shohei Ohtani in Game 1 and pitched 1.2 scoreless innings with two hits. Sánchez dazzled through 5.2 but wasn’t able to finish the sixth before the bullpen ultimately squandered the lead.
The Phillies winning Game 3 in blowout fashion allowed them to hold off from using Jhoan Duran after he was beginning to warm up in eighth. On a similar note, the Dodgers left Clayton Kershaw to eat two innings where he gave up five runs, preserving some of their relievers as well.
You already know how unlikely it is that the Phillies actually come all the way back in this series. After all, they’ve never even won a postseason series when they lost Game 1, let alone winning a five-game series after falling behind 2-0.
But baseball is nothing but a sport that fuels hope for tomorrow. So, how are you feeling about the series now that the Phillies have won a game?
