ST. LOUIS — Now that is the way in which to finish an 11-year postseason drought.
With J.T. Realmuto, who had performed 1,005 regular-season video games with no postseason look, giving the Phillies hope with a one-out single within the ninth. With Bryce Harper, who had been dying to return to baseball’s largest stage since he signed with the Phillies in 2019, working his manner again from a 1-2 depend to stroll. With Nick Castellanos, who had not loved the season he anticipated in his first yr in Philly, strolling to load the bases.
With Alec Bohm, who obtained drilled by a 100.8 mph fastball, hopping up and clapping because the Phillies scored their first run. With Jean Segura, who had performed 1,328 regular-season video games with no postseason look, leaping into the air like just a little boy after hitting a ball into proper area to present the Phillies the lead.
The Phillies loved a historic 6-3 comeback victory over the Cardinals on Friday in Sport 1 of the NL Wild Card Collection at Busch Stadium. They’re the primary group in postseason historical past to attain six runs within the ninth inning when trailing to enter the body.
“I stated it within the cage earlier than the sport,” Harper stated. “We’re not dropping this sport. That was the mentality. I swear. I used to be saying all of it morning, ‘We’re not dropping right now.’ It is simply not going to occur. We’re not going to lose this collection, we’re not going to lose this sport. That is the mentality that we have now in there. We need to go on the market and win. No matter that takes, we will play 27 outs. It would not matter how lengthy you lead in a sport, so long as you’ve the lead on the finish.
“We had been all speaking about it. You must converse it into existence, proper?”
Ace Zack Wheeler pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings earlier than left-handed reliever José Alvarado allowed his first runs since Aug. 23 to present the Cardinals a 2-0 lead within the seventh. The Phillies had simply two hits by means of eight. They stated they may have been attempting to do an excessive amount of. Possibly they had been too excited, too nervous.
However then, with Philadelphia’s win chance at simply 3%, Realmuto hit a one-out single towards Cardinals nearer Ryan Helsley within the ninth.
“In opposition to a man like that, actually, you’re simply attempting to place the ball in play,” Realmuto stated.
Helsley is one in all baseball’s greatest relievers. He went 9-1 with a 1.24 ERA and 19 saves this season whereas placing out 94 in 64 2/3 innings. However he jammed his center finger earlier within the week and he misplaced feeling in that finger in the course of the ninth.
Harper labored a six-pitch stroll to place runners on first and second.
“That was a large at-bat,” Realmuto stated. “If he chases simply a type of pitches, that inning we simply had in all probability doesn’t occur. … [Helsley] threw a pair good swing-and-miss pitches, and Bryce simply had nice takes. It seemed like, in the course of that at-bat, he slowed it down and noticed the ball higher. That was big for us.”
Castellanos labored a five-pitch stroll to load the bases. Then, Bohm obtained drilled on the left shoulder. He spun into the grime like a high, however he hopped up and clapped.
“I didn’t really feel it,” Bohm stated, smiling.
“It sort of hurts, however I don’t care,” he stated.
St. Louis supervisor Oliver Marmol selected Andre Pallante over Jack Flaherty to exchange Helsley and face Segura.
“Segura is a … 60-percent floor ball man towards righties all yr,” Marmol stated. “Pallante is a high-ground ball man. That matchup has a few 70-percent [chance of working]. You bought one out. The state of affairs is principally you need to finish the sport there with a ground-ball double play.”
No lively participant had performed extra regular-season video games with no journey to the postseason than Segura. (Realmuto was second.) Segura had talked endlessly about his need to make the postseason.
OK, Jean, time to step up.
The Cardinals moved the infield midway in. Segura slapped a 2-2 slider simply off the grime. Cardinals second baseman Tommy Edman dived to his left. He obtained a glove on it, however the ball scooted into shallow proper area. Harper and Castellanos scored to present the Phillies a 3-2 lead.
“Basic Jean,” Castellanos stated.
“That’s Jean, he can hit something,” Bohm stated. “He’s a success machine.”
Segura’s two-run single was the second go-ahead hit with the group trailing within the ninth inning or later in Phillies postseason historical past. The opposite got here from Jimmy Rollins off Jonathan Broxton in 2009.
The Phils scored three extra runs. Zach Eflin obtained three outs within the ninth to seal the Phillies’ first postseason victory since Sport 3 of the 2011 NLDS towards the Cardinals. The Playing cards eradicated the Phillies with a 1-0 victory in Sport 5, precisely 11 years in the past Friday.
“I used to be prepared right now,” Segura stated. “I wakened at 7 a.m. with adrenaline in my physique, understanding that I’m going to play a postseason sport.”
The adrenaline propelled him into the air as he ran to first base.
“Similar to if you give just a little child a toy and simply leaping round and happiness,” he stated. “It’s such an important feeling if you come by means of within the state of affairs like that. That is why you play the sport. That is why you turn into an enormous leaguer, for these forms of moments. As a result of I feel if you come by means of in these forms of moments, individuals and the followers are going to recollect you ceaselessly.”
