Phillies Roar Back From Down 5-0 To Take Game 1
Are you kidding me? This team just does not stop fighting. Down multiple times against the Padres, but come back to win it anyway. And then down 5-0 tonight, with Justin Verlander on the mound, and what did they do? Score the next 6 runs, including a JT Realmuto HR in extras, to take the game.
Was it easy? Absolutely not. The collective heartbeats of the Phillies faithful probably registered on the Richter scale. But we are used to that by now. A heart-pounding, nail-biting win is something we expect. Things seemed bleak when Aaron Nola gave up 5 runs in the first 3 innings, including 2 HRs off the bat of Kyle Tucker. But while fans may have been panicking, the Phillies did not. After Verlander had an easy first 3 innings, the bats got to him. It started with 3 in the 4th inning. And then another 2 in the 5th. Before we knew it the game was tied. They came all the way back from down 5-0.
But that meant the Phillies were in a bullpen battle with the Astros. The Astros bullpen had given up just 3 runs all postseason, all from solo homers. And yet it was the Phillies bullpen that saved the day. After Nola went 4.1 innings, the bullpen took the next 5.2 and gave up no runs. Rob Thomson managed aggressively. Putting in his best guys, and having quick hooks. And it paid off. Jose Alvarado, Zach Eflin, and Seranthony Dominguez got them through to extra innings.
The Astros had chances. Including one in the bottom of the 9th with Altuve on 2nd. Pena hit a blooper to right field that looked like it would find grass. But Nick Castellanos had a deja vu moment from game 1 against the Braves. His sliding catch saved the night and gave the Phillies a chance in extras.
One swing was all they needed. JT Realmuto played the hero tonight, with a shot to right field that just squeaked over the wall to give them the first lead of the night. Just the 4th run that bullpen gave up all postseason, on the 4th solo shot. But it was enough this time.
But our agony was not yet over. David Robertson walked out of the bullpen. Robertson, who walked two in game 5 vs the Padres to force Ranger Suarez to come in to get the out. And he was facing Alvarez, Bregman, and Tucker. If you guessed that it would not be easy, you were right. He got Alvarez but could not get Bregman. Bregman’s shot to left bounced off the wall to put him on 2nd with just 1 out. A walk, an out, and a wild pitch later, it ended up with Robertson vs Diaz with runners on 2nd and 3rd. But he got the out. And they handed the Astros their first loss this postseason.
It took a great 5-0 comeback against the guy who is a lock to win the AL CY Young. It took the Phillies bullpen out dueling probably the best bullpen in baseball. But they did it. The Phillies took game 1. And not they are just 3 wins away from parading down Broad Street. Oh, and Zack Wheeler will take the mound tomorrow. Could they be coming home up 2-0? We will see. But either way, with this win, the Phillies will have a chance to end this thing on their own home turf.
