ST. LOUIS — The Philadelphia Phillies showcased plenty of resilient spirit throughout the season, coming back from a shaky start and the dismissal of their manager to make the playoffs for the first time in nearly ten years.
Keeping them at bay would require more than a two-run deficit in a ninth of the inning Friday.
Even with teams that have been tested in the playoffs St. Louis Cardinals.
Philadelphia scored six runs during the 9th inning, smothering an enthralled crowd at Busch Stadium and sending Jean Segura and the Phillies to a 6-3 win in the first match of the National League wild-card series.
This was the first occasion in 94 postseason games in the postseason that St. Louis, one of the 11 times World Series champions, had blown the lead by at most two runs going to the end of the game, According to Sportradar.
“It’s the way we operate. Fighting is what we are,” said Alec Bohm, who was hit onto the shoulder of Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley with the bases loaded to score the first hit. “We’re never done with it. This is just the way is us.”
If asked about the feeling in the dugout at the game, Phillies manager Rob Thomson – – who took over from Joe Girardi after their poor beginning to the season answered straightforwardly: “Electric.”
It’s because the Cardinals were 74-3 in the eighth inning; when they led, they were on track to score another victory following Juan Yepez hit the first homer that was a go-ahead in the history of the franchise with two left in the seventh.
However, the Phillies finally began to see their offence take off after a lengthy struggle facing Jose Quintana and St. Louis bullpen and the St. Louis bullpen. JT Realmuto started the decisive rally by hitting one hit off Helsley and walks by Bryce Harper, and Nick Castellanos added bases before the All-Star closer smacked Bohm.
The Cardinals trainers inspected Helsley, who had jammed an injury to his glove during the week’s games in Pittsburgh. He was substituted with Andre Pallante. He was able to give up Segura’s decisive hit through an infield that was on the right.
“It was exactly what I wanted,” Pallante stated. “It just got through.”
Edmundo Sosa added another run by scoring brazenly on Bryson Stott’s grounder to the first base. Brandon Marsh drove another run when a hard leap passed Cardinals shortstop Paul DeJong.
“Unfortunately,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said, “that last inning got away.”
When Kyle Schwarber added a sacrifice fly, Phillies reliever Zach Eflin had plenty of space during the 9th.
It looked like Eflin might require it, too, as Nolan Arenado and Dylan Carlson reached the base, and Nolan Gorman hit a two-out RBI single to the right. However, Eflin took action by hitting long-time Cardinals superstar Yadier Molina to stop the game, leaving Philadelphia one win from facing NL East champion Atlanta in the divisional round.
“That’s why you play 27 outs,” the Phillies’ Rhys Hoskins said. “There’s just a ton of belief in this dugout.”
A smoky breeze was which swept across Busch Stadium before the game. Ozzie Smith was jolly as he walked up onto the mound to throw the ceremonial first pitch. If those flag-waving Cardinals fans crowded in every corner and crevice shut their eyes during the introductions, they could have believed it was a match from earlier.
In all likelihood, some familiar faces were part of the lineup from last season when St. Louis and Philadelphia faced off at the end of the season in playoffs.
It was 11 years ago today, Friday, that the Cardinals defeated to beat the Phillies in a thrilling pitching duel between Chris Carpenter and Roy Halladay in Game 5 of the NL divisional series. Molina and Albert Pujols played for St. Louis that night, and an ace of the past, Adam Wainwright, pitching out of the bullpen in this series, was also present to celebrate.
Like the night played in Philadelphia, the pitching was dominant for most of Friday’s opener for the series.
Quintana, who was acquired as a late-season trade from Pittsburgh Quintana was fantastic and only allowed one single for Matt Vierling and a double to Bohm when he pitched through the sixth. The day ended after he fanned Schwarber twice on the 75th pitch before handing the game to a relief team who had been dominant this season.
Zack Wheeler was the equal of Quintana, who allowed the leadoff single by Lars Nootbaar and nothing else until Tommy Edman’s leadoff hit during the sixth. Edman was left without a home at third base after Paul Goldschmidt grounded out.
Wheeler quit after having retired Arenado to begin the seventh. He threw out four and was walked on 96 pitches, the most since August. Twenty just before the right-hander went on the injured list due to tendinitis of the forearm.
Then it was down to the bullpens, and the Phillies could defeat one of the top teams in the game.
“This is playoffs,” Goldschmidt stated. “We must try to figure out a way to beat the odds tomorrow. We shouldn’t be worried about what happened today. If we’re able to beat the odds tomorrow, we’ll have an opportunity in the next round on Sunday.”