PHOENIX — Everyone wondered how the Phillies would respond.
This week’s disappointing losses to Arizona in Games 3 and 4 of the National League Championship Series were nowhere near as painful as the second-half collapse in Game 4 on Friday night at Chase Field. . The loss seemed to even the series and shift momentum to the D-backs. Manager Rob Thomson answered questions about a leaky bullpen, and the Phillies’ hitters were looking for a way out of a funk for the second straight game in the desert.
Hours before the Phillies defeated the D-backs 6-1 in Game 5 on Saturday night, the players gathered in the clubhouse to talk.
“If we said to ourselves in spring training, ‘We have to win two out of three games to go to the World Series,’ we would do it every time,” JT Realmuto said.
Zach Wheeler, Aaron Nola and Ranger Suarez were scheduled to pitch in the next three games for the Phillies. Why don’t they take the chance? So why not love their situation Saturday night?
Others shared similar messages. “Be confident.” Be confident whether you win or lose. Don’t force things. Let’s make them happen.
“Everyone was looking forward to going to the ballpark, I’ll tell you that,” Kyle Schwarber said. “Everyone was getting ready to leave.”
And the Phillies are just one win away from winning the National League pennant for the second straight year. In best-of-seven series, he leads 3-2 and his team has won 79 of 112 series (71%). Game 6 will be played Monday night at Citizens Bank Park, with Game 7 (if necessary) on Tuesday.
Game 5 started off in an unexpected way, with Schwarber chopping the ball five feet short of home plate and hitting an infield hit down the third base line. Then, Bryson Stott’s two-out single scored four batters and gave the Phillies a 1-0 lead.
Thomson pursued the issue. He called for a double steal.
“We just wanted to put pressure on them,” he said.
It was gut-wrenching. If that goes well, the Phillies will take an early 2-0 lead against D-backs ace Zac Gallen. If that fails, Arizona could take away momentum.
“This is a dangerous play,” Realmuto said.
Stott doubled on an 0-for-1 pitch to Realmuto, but Realmuto then struggled as he was caught by a fastball up the middle to give Stott a chance to run. D-backs catcher Gabriel Moreno threw the ball to second base. Bryce Harper sprinted home.
“[Third-base coach] dusty [Wathan] I was told to be aggressive,” Harper said.
Stott stopped about two-thirds of the way to second place. D-backs second baseman Ketel Marte hit a home run.
If he pitched well, he might have caught Harper. But Marte’s throw went to Moreno’s left. The catcher attempted to catch the ball across the third base line. Harper had nowhere to go. He dropped his left shoulder and beat Moreno, scoring the goal.
Harper becomes the first Phillies player in postseason history to steal home.
He especially set the tone for Wheeler on the mound. He was great again, allowing six hits, one run, and one walk through seven innings. Wheeler has started four games this postseason, posting a 3-0 record with a 2.08 ERA. He started the postseason and has a 2.48 ERA in 10 career games.
“After the game, I said to him, ‘You’re one of the best pitchers I’ve ever played with,'” Harper said. “He’s legit, dude.”
As it turned out, two points were enough for Wheeler. But Schwarber hit a 461-foot solo homer to right-center field in the sixth inning against Gallen, making it 3-0. Harper then followed two batters and hit a 444-foot solo shot to right-center field to make it 4-0.
Realmuto hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning, capping off the night’s score at 6-1.
A large number of Philadelphia fans were in Phoenix this week to watch their team play. Game 5 finally gave him a chance to relax and enjoy himself, as Philadelphia turned his two tough losses into a perfect victory.
The Phils were a hit. They threw. And they played great defense.
“If you believe in yourself and the group cause that we have and the team that we have, it could be really hard to beat us,” Schwarber said. “And we all really believe in ourselves. We believe we can go out there and play great baseball against the best opponent.”
“We came in with smiles on our faces,” Brandon Marsh said. “Like, we were really confident we were going to win.”
They had confidence because they had Wheeler on the mound. They were confident, knowing that even if something went wrong on Saturday, they would be able to return home for Games 6 and 7 with Nola and Suarez on the mound.
“It was a normal Saturday,” Alec Bohm said. “No one was trying to be more focused. A big part of what we do is have fun and trust each other and have confidence that we’ll get the job done.”
But they remind themselves of these core beliefs anyway. Because sometimes it’s good to hear it.
