PHILADELPHIA – After a heartbreaking defeat to the Atlanta Braves on August 22, Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper said Philadelphia needed to win nine of the next 10 games.
Ask and you shall receive.
Alec Bohm beat in the winning streak with a shallow sacrifice sprint at the bottom of the 10th inning as the Phillies swept away a four-game streak from the Washington Nationals with a 6-5 win at Citizens Bank Park on Thursday afternoon. The Phillies (18-15), just as Harper claimed, have won nine of 10 since defeat in Atlanta.
“I heard someone say that Bryce is a prophet,” said manager Joe Girardi. “I’ll go to him and see what I should do next.”
Bohm, who went 3 for 4, came to the pot with bases loaded and one out in the tenth. He hit the first shot he saw: an 89.9mph fastball from Nationals reliever Sean Doolittle. The ball traveled 277 feet in the center of the field. Bohm slammed his club to the ground in frustration, apparently thinking it wasn’t deep enough to score the run.
JT Realmuto, who was in third place, was tagged. He started running as soon as the ball landed in the glove of national center defender Victor Robles. Realmuto seemed to take Robles by surprise. The home shot wasn’t even close.
The other key figure in the game for the Phillies was rescuer Blake Parker. In this modified season of COVID-19, each team starts extra innings with a runner on second base.
In the top 10th, Parker knocked out Trea Turner and Asdrubal Cabrera. With bases loaded, Parker convinced Brock Holt to reach first base for the final.
The 6-5 defeat in Atlanta on August 22 could have defined the Phillies season. The loss was disappointing as the Phillies wasted a lead, which they did several times that week. It was Philadelphia’s fifth consecutive defeat and left them with a 9-14 record and on the sidelines of the playoff match.
Now, that loss could still define the season, but in a positive way.
Harper said he wasn’t just trying to fire the Phillies by saying they had to win nine out of 10 after that defeat.
“Guys, you know me as a person,” Harper said. “I am quite honest with everything I say. As a team, I think we went out there and played to the best of our ability. We can still improve. I think that’s the great thing about this game. I am very excited, very happy with where we are “.
The Phillies are 2.5 games behind first-place Atlanta Braves (22-14) in the National League East. Philadelphia will begin a four-game run in New York against the Mets on Friday. The Phillies will play 11 of their next 13 away games.
“We have a difficult program to move forward,” Girardi said. “We don’t have many days off. We will really be tested. The goal is to win the division. Atlanta is winning every day. We are chasing them. We don’t see them anymore, but you just have to win a series.
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