Categories: 2021 Postgame Recaps

Phillies drop final game of 2021 season

Final Score: Marlins 5, Phillies 4

Game 162 seemed emblematic of the Phillies season from the first play of the game. Odúbel Herrera dove for second base 20 feet from the bag trying to stretch a single. Andrew McCutchen and Didi Gregorius then failed to capitalize on a bases loaded one out situation enabled by a Bryce Harper double.

Bailey Falter was the Phillies’ starter in Sunday’s finale. (Cheryl Pursell)

The Marlins did what the Phillies couldn’t in the first, scoring two runs before Bailey Falter recorded an out. Pitcher Steven Okert padded the Marlins lead when he hit into a double play with runners on first and third, giving Miami their third run of the game

That Marlins lead didn’t last long though, home runs by Freddy Galvis and McCutchen tied the score at three.

That homer may have been McCutchen’s last appearance in a Phillies uniform as he was lifted for Matt Vierling in the third. Meanwhile, Travis Jankowski replaced Harper, who put the finishing touches on an MVP caliber season with a double and a walk in two plate appearances.

Miami took the lead back in the fourth with a two-run bomb by Nick Fortes off Hector Neris, but he wasn’t done just yet. Neris, an impending free agent, came back out for the fifth inning and struck out Jazz Chisholm for the 520th strikeout of his career, the most by any Phillies reliever franchise history.

The sixth inning saw the return of Seranthony Dominguez, his first appearance since June 5, 2019. The Dominican righty quieted a lively Miami offense, picking up a strikeout in a 1-2-3 inning. Like Falter and Vierling, Dominguez is an uncertainty, but should he return to 2018 form, he could be a difference maker for the Phillies in 2022.

Though Dominguez was able to curb the Marlins offense briefly, the Phillies comeback attempts were futile. The final loss of the season dropped their record to 82-80, a one game improvement over 2019, the Phillies last full season.

Shibe Vintage Sports Starting Pitching Performance

Bailey Falter: 2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 0 SO, 0 HR, 30 pitches

Bailey Falter’s first major league start was nothing if not tumultuous. Two Marlins scored before an out was recorded in the first. Falter induced a double play with runners on the corners to escape disaster in the second inning, but he won’t be happy with a 9.00 ERA in his first start. The Phillies could use consistency from their big lefty in 2022, whether it be from the bullpen or as a starter.

Pablo Lopez : 1 2/3 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO, 1 HR, 42 pitches

Pablo Lopez faced only nine Phillies today in his return from the 60-day IL. Much like Falter, Lopez conceded three first inning hits, but escaped without allowing a run. A titanic Freddy Galvis blast in the second inning was the only run Lopez gave up. In 19 starts this season, Lopez averaged 5 1/3 IP per game, but the Marlins will be happy he pitched at all again this season after suffering a rotator cuff strain in July.

Phillies Nugget Of The Game

Harper joined an exclusive club today. A third inning walk was his 100th on the season, making Harper only the fourth outfielder in MLB to post 35 home runs, 40 doubles, 100 runs and 100 walks in a single season. He joins Babe Ruth (1921 & 1923), Stan Musial (1949) and Barry Bonds (1998).