Phillies Hand Game 1 to Dodgers With Late-Game Meltdown

You must’ve heard the stat by now. The Philadelphia Phillies have never lost Game 1 and rallied to win a playoff series, a dooming historical indicator after their National League Division Series meltdown in Game 1 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Phillies blew a 3-0 lead with a shaky finish by Cristopher Sanchez, a rough night for the bullpen, and a hapless late-inning offense.

Kike Hernandez drove in two with a double in the sixth inning. Teoscar Hernandez provided the big blow with a three-run home run in the seventh inning off Matt Strahm, who inherited two runners from David Robertson.

The Dodgers shushed a Red October crowd at Citizens Bank Park in a 5-3 victory that will now enter Game 2 with the tensest possible mood in a World Series or bust 2025 season.

The Phillies lost arguably the best starting pitcher in baseball for the season and still somehow entered the MLB Postseason with the starting rotation as their greatest strength.

Rob Thomson handed the ball to Sanchez in Game 1. The breakout lefty threw his changeup with conviction against a lineup of hard-hitting sluggers that finished second in the majors in home runs and runs scored during the regular season.

Sanchez struck out Shohei Ohtani all three times he faced him. He battled hard through some tough Dodgers at-bats in the early innings to make it through five innings unscathed. However, the tides turned when Sanchez walked Freddie Freeman with two outs in the sixth inning.

Tommy Edman followed with a single, and Kike Hernandez ended the starter’s evening with a two-run double.

Sanchez struck out eight and allowed only four hits in 5 ⅔ innings, but he couldn’t put the exclamation point on a solid start. David Robertson stranded Hernandez by retiring Max Muncy to finish the sixth.

J.T. Realmuto led the charge early with a two-run triple off starter Shohei Ohtani. He later scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Harrison Bader.

The Phillies waited on the big hit in the late innings after the bullpen meltdown. Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, and Bryce Harper came up empty against Ohtani, but the top of the order powered a threat in the eighth.

Edmundo Sosa pinch hit with two outs and the bases loaded, but he flew out to center field in what was Philadelphia's best comeback opportunity.

The Dodgers entered the NLDS with serious bullpen question marks, but the Phillies failed to attack the weakness. Starter-turned reliever Tyler Glasnow and Alex Vesia combined to keep the Phillies off the board in the seventh and eighth. Roki Sasaki slammed the door in the ninth.

The Phillies starting rotation led the majors in innings pitched by a wide margin during the regular season. However, managers deploy different pitching strategies to collect all 27 outs in the postseason.

The evolving strategy of shorter starts and more bullpen matchup preferences will force the Thomson to develop a better bridge to Jhoan Duran, and they failed their first test in the Game 1 loss against the Dodgers.

Sanchez pitched well, but he didn’t deliver the dominant outing that could carry his team on a World Series chase reminiscent of Cole Hamels in 2008 or Cliff Lee in 2009.

Robertson and Strahm – who entered the playoffs as the two primary setup men for Duran – let the game unravel. 

Jesus Luzardo will pitch Game 2 with the Phillies' backs against the wall. First pitch is scheduled for 6:08pm on Monday.