One run in the first inning, two runs scored, and a stolen home run. Harper set the tone for the once-reeling Phillies to take command of the NLCS as it heads back to Philly.
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PHOENIX — It wasn’t a knockout blow. Not yet. Not with one game left to win before the Phillies can punch a return ticket to the World Series.
A forearm shiver? Oh, definitely. But whatever we choose to call it, let’s agree on one thing about Bryce Harper’s first-inning dash up the third base line, which ended with his left arm smashing into Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno’s jaw.
It set a tone.
Even though the Phillies’ best-of-seven National League Championship Series was tied following back-to-back losses in the desert, they might argue they never experienced a confidence crisis. But they are, to a man, fierce advocates of momentum, and going into Saturday night, they possessed almost none.
And there was Harper, taking off from third base like a freight train as soon as Moreno executed a perfectly timed double steal to get to second base. He put the Phillies ahead by two runs, which would eventually grow to six in a Game 5 that appeared to be as close to a must-win as the team had faced all postseason. He drove a pitch into the catcher.
Now release the breath. Because Harper’s teammates most definitely did.
That was a huge play, Kyle Schwarber said. It is a tremendous run when he enters the game forcefully and the ball kicks out in that manner.
Said left fielder Brandon Marsh: “It was a gutsy play. Harp made a heck of a read.”/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/pmn/JLSDHM22RBB5PLJDOZ2YYSBUNY.jpg)
Sure, the Phillies busted it open against Diamondbacks ace Zac Gallen on sixth-inning solo homers by Schwarber and Harper, both of whom tied Jayson Werth’s franchise record with their 11th career postseason dingers. And yes, Zack Wheeler delivered another seven-inning gem to add to his postseason legend.
However, Harper was the one who saved the season from concluding with an inevitable death. On Monday night, when the NLCS returns to South Philadelphia, Aaron Nola will start the first of two games in which the Phillies will have a chance to win a pennant in a row.
As usual, his timing was impeccable.
I just want to win. That’s it, said Harper, the first player in the Phillies’ 141-year history to steal home in a playoff game. All that it needs, all that it appears, all that it will be.
In spring training, the Phillies rehearse the play, which is a double steal with runners on first and third and two outs. They also use it occasionally in the regular season.
It works best in the earlier innings, first base coach Paco Figueroa said, because catchers are less likely to throw to second base late in games. The runner at first is the bait. After taking off from first, he’s supposed to pull up halfway to second. As soon as the throw goes to second, the runner at third breaks for home.
The Diamondbacks could have given up the run and forced Stott into a double play, or they could have attempted to strike out Harper at the plate. They chose the latter. Second baseman Ketel Marte took the throw, pivoted, and threw to the plate.
But scoring the run hinges on one thing.
Though the Phillies would contend they never went through a confidence crisis, their best-of-seven National League Championship Series was knotted after back-to-back losses in the desert. But they are, to a man, fierce advocates of momentum, and going into Saturday night, they have almost none.
And there was Harper, launching himself from third base like a freight train as soon as Moreno got to second base with a precisely timed double steal. He smashed a pitch into the catcher to take a two-run lead that would eventually grow to 6-1 in a Game 5 that appeared to be as close to a must-win as the Phillies had faced all postseason.
Take a breath and let it go. Because, in all likelihood, Harper’s teammates did.
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Still, it would seem like a risky play in the first inning of Game 5 of a tied NLCS, especially since Gallen is known for being quick to the plate and Moreno has a strong arm. But the Phillies figured Moreno would throw to second. They also noticed that third baseman Evan Longoria was playing back, Figueroa said, and Harper was likely to retreat in time if Moreno pump-faked and threw to third.
So, manager Rob Thomson called the play from the dugout, and the base coaches alerted Stott and Harper that it was on.
It wasn’t that gutsy, Figueroa said. It’s a play that, if it’s run well, we should be able to get the job done. And it’s a risk we’re willing to take in that situation.
In part because of their trust in Harper.
Yeah, I knew he was going to go, Stott said.Said Thomson: “He is as good as they get. He might be the best I’ve been around.
And Thomson coached Derek Jeter.
Harper checked to make sure Moreno was in one piece, then returned to a dugout that erupted. The Phillies insisted before the game that they were upbeat. Now, there was no denying it.
Wheeler took it from there. With the bullpen exhausted after Game 3 and particularly Game 4, he muted the Diamondbacks for six innings, then regrouped to finish the seventh after giving up a leadoff homer to Alek Thomas./cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/pmn/CJFHJLEY2BE7LGLY3S5T5VLZIE.jpg)
Wheeler has given up six earned runs in 26 innings over four starts this October, good for a 2.08 ERA. Over the past two years, he has made 10 starts in the playoffs, and his 2.48 ERA ranks among the team’s best pitchers ever. In 30 or more postseason innings, only Ryan Madson (2.31), Cliff Lee (2.33), and Roy Halladay (2.37) have better statistics.
Harper remarked, You’re one of the best pitchers I’ve ever played with, when I told him after the game. Among all the players I have played with, he is without a doubt among the top 3.
J.T. Realmuto slugged a two-run homer in the eighth inning, and Jeff Hoffman, Seranthony Domínguez, and Matt Strahm came out of that tired bullpen to record the final six outs, including a game-ending strikeout of Diamondbacks star rookie Corbin Carroll, 2-for-19 in the series.
And now, once again, the Phillies control the series.
Historically, the odds are in their favor. It has happened 22 out of 28 times, including seven out of eight times in LCS play, when a road team wins Game 5 to take a 3-2 lead in a best-of-seven series. This information comes from the Elias Sports Bureau.
It was a great response, Schwarber said. It was great that we were able to turn the page and really put all our focus and effort into this game tonight. We’re excited to get back home.
Imagine the atmosphere when they get there.
Electric, Stott said. Rowdy.
And reinvigorated by a series-changing play
