Final Score: Phillies 7, Nationals 5
It took some time, but the Phillies managed to finish off a sweep of the Washington Nationals on Sunday. The three-hour, 36 minute delay following the second inning turned a day game into the night game and set a new record for longest mid game rain delay in Phillies history.
In 10 games against the Nats at Citizens Bank Park this season, the Phillies went 9-1. They’ll see the Nationals one more time in D.C. for the penultimate series of the regular season.
Showers were in the forecast up until around 5 p.m. local time. With this being the last scheduled meeting between the Nationals and Phillies in Philadelphia, MLB was in charge of making the call regarding the start time of the game. They decided to begin at 1:05 and it hurt both clubs.
The bright side was that everyone got a break to watch some football.
“I should say that I was working,” Rob Thomson said, “But I was watching football.”
Aaron Nola pitched only two innings before the rain delay began. The same goes with Nationals starter Anibal Sanchez. With the Phillies carrying a 1-0 lead before the delay, it became a battle of the bullpens. Usually when that happens against Washington, there’s a pretty good chance the Phillies come out on top.
Long reliever Cristopher Sánchez, who was appearing in his first game in nine days, was tasked with giving the Phillies some length. He pitched three innings and allowed four runs on seven hits. After the game, Sánchez was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Washington’s lead didn’t last long as Rhys Hoskins launched his 28th home run of the season in the fifth inning. The three-run blast tied the game at four. Hoskins recorded his fourth four-RBI game of the season.
Facing Kyle Finnegan in the seventh, Alec Bohm hit an opposite-field two-run home run to give the Phillies a two-run lead. It was Bohm’s seventh go-ahead home run of the season for the Phillies.
Seranthony Domínguez pitched a scoreless inning in the eighth in his return from the injured list. David Robertson recorded his 19th save of the season to wrap up the victory.
With the win, the Phillies are now 78-62. Believe it or not, they have a chance to clinch their second-consecutive winning season on the upcoming roadtrip against the Marlins and Braves.
The Phillies, of course, are aiming much higher than that. With a Padres loss, they now have a 1.5-game lead over San Diego and a 3.5-game lead over Milwaukee in the NL wild card race. It’s a great spot to be in with 22 games left in the season.
Shibe Vintage Sports Notes
- Hoskins has six home runs against Washington in 2022.
- José Alvarado has an 0.69 ERA over his last 15 appearances. He struck out one over an inning of work in the seventh and recorded his fourth victory of the season.
- Sunday was the third-longest recorded rain delay in Phillies history. The longest belongs to the Sept. 28, 2006 game against Washington, which lasted four hours and 27 minutes.
Ticket IQ Next Game
- Tuesday, September 13 vs. Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park
- 6:40 p.m. ET
- TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
- Radio: Sportsradio 94 WIP
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