The formidable Philadelphia Phillies looked mortal for a couple days during a pair of frustrating one-run losses. Their response on Saturday night proved that they’re far from finished.
Zack Wheeler delivered another postseason gem with seven shutdown innings, Schwarber, Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmulto all homered and the Phillies beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-1 to take a 3-2 NL Championship Series lead.
Everything was fantastic, Schwarber said. “It was a great response. Obviously, didn’t work out the way we wanted last night, but it was great that we were able to turn the page and really put our focus and effort into this one.
Philadelphia moved one win from its second straight World Series appearance, regaining control after wasting late leads in consecutive losses at Chase Field.
A double steal led to a 2-0 lead in the first inning off Zac Gallen, with Bryson Stott driving in two runs with an RBI single and Harper sliding home after a collision with catcher Gabriel Moreno. After registering two hits, three runs, a diving play on defense, and his long home run, the 30-year-old Harper had a big game.
He’s as good as they get, Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. He might be the best I’ve been around, just watching him on a daily basis.
After recovering from Tommy John surgery in May, Harper has played in 11 postseason games and is hitting.343, with five home runs, eight RBIs, and twelve walks.
I just want to win. That’s it. Whatever that takes, whatever that’s going to be, whatever that’s going to look like, he said. That was a big game for us. Coming in here and getting one is huge. That’s a good team over there. We took advantage of everything we could.
For the second time in this series, the Philadelphia lineup took advantage of Gallen, and Schwarber hit his fifth home run of the NLCS and his twentieth of the postseason Schwarber’s sixth-inning drive traveled 461 feet over the swimming pool beyond the right-center fence, quieting a crowd of 47,897.Two batters later, Harper hit a 444-foot homer into the right-field seats.
In the eighth inning, Realmuto gave the score a 6-1 lead with a two-run home run off Luis Frías.
The series resumes Monday in Philadelphia, where the Phillies are 6-0 this postseason with 17 homers.
Wheeler, a 33-year-old right-hander, gave up one run and five hits with a walk while striking out eight. He is 3-0 with a 2.08 ERA in four postseason starts this year, striking out 34 and walking two in 26 innings.
He gave us exactly what we needed, Thomson said.
Philadelphia’s starting pitchers have a 1.48 ERA in this postseason with 67 strikeouts and just seven walks in 61 innings.
Gallen’s record in four postseason appearances is now 2-2 with a 5.24 after giving up four runs and six hits in six innings. He lost Game 1 to Wheeler after giving up five runs in five innings.
Alek Thomas homered in the seventh for the Diamondbacks, a day after his tying home run in the eighth sparked Arizona to a series-evening win. This postseason, Thomas has a team-high four home runs.
With five solo home runs in the series, Schwarber is hitting.412 and began the game with an infield single.
Stott’s two-out single brought him home. Stott’s dash for second on a steal drew a throw from Moreno to second baseman Ketel Marte, who stepped in front of the base and made an errant return throw that bounced past Moreno.
The catcher, who was dazed by Harper’s collision with Moreno at home plate, continued to play. Umpires ruled Harper couldn’t have avoided the collision because Marte’s throw drew Moreno down the third-base line.
We made some mistakes today, D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. We lost some crucial opportunities to capitalize, and that made the difference in the game.
MASTER OF SLUG
Schwarber reached 20 postseason homers in 63 games, a record low. The prior mark was held by Houston’s Jose Altuve at 68 games.
RARE THEFT
Harper’s home run steal was only the 22nd in MLB postseason history and the first in Phillies postseason history. Since the playoffs began in 1969, this was the ninth home run theft and the first since Randy Arozarena of Tampa Bay in 2021.
LINEUP CHANGES
Pavin Smith went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts in his first start of the postseason, batting him fifth as the designated hitter. Tommy Pham was benched after hitting 1 of 13 in the first four games of the NLCS. Smith entered 3 of 4 this postseason.
ROOF CLOSED
For the third consecutive game, Chase Field’s retractable roof was closed due to temperatures in the vicinity of 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Michael Phelps, an Olympic swimmer who has won 28 medals, threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
UP NEXT
2023 MLB playoffs highlights: Phillies win NLCS Game 5 6-1, take 3-2 series lead
The 2023 MLB National League Championship Series continued on Saturday night with the Philadelphia Phillies taking down the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 5, and we’ve got you covered with all the action from start to finish!
Both teams had their respective aces on the hill, as Arizona sent Zac Gallen to the mound and Philadelphia countered with Zack Wheeler. The Game 5 win gave the Phillies a 3-2 series lead.
Here are the top plays!
FINAL: Philadelphia Phillies 6, Arizona Diamondbacks 1
Phillies strike first
Bryson Stott gave Philadelphia the early lead with two outs in the top of the first inning, smacking an RBI single to right field.
