Categories: 2022 Postgame Recaps

Phillies a win away from the World Series after monster nights from Hoskins & Harper

Rhys Hoskins and Bryce Harper combined for four extra-base hits in Game 4. (Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire)

Final: Phillies 10, Padres 6

If Game 1 of the NLWCS wasn’t enough, the Philadelphia Phillies delivered a signature postseason comeback in Game 4 of the NLCS, erasing multiple deficits to put themselves within a win of the World Series.

—

While Bailey Falter retired the first two batters he faced, he wasn’t able to record another out.

Manny Machado interrupted “Manny sucks!” chants by hitting a solo home run. Brandon Drury knocked Falter out of the game with a two-run double into right-center field. Before the inning was out, Ha-seong Kim singled in another run off of Connor Brogdon, the fourth and final run charged to the line of Falter:

Somehow, Padres starter Mike Clevinger fared even worse in the home half of the first inning.

It’s been a roller coaster of a postseason for Rhys Hoskins, and he added another chapter to the story by hitting a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning:

Following a walk from J.T. Realmuto, Bryce Harper scalded a ball 111 mph into the right-center field gap, plating a third run:

Nick Martinez would ultimately come on in relief of Clevinger, finishing off an inning that lasted over 45 minutes by striking out Bryson Stott looking.

After mopping up for Falter in the first inning, Brogdon came back and ultimately gave the Phillies two more scoreless innings, which Andrew Bellatti followed with a clean inning of his own.

In the home half of the fourth inning, a struggling Nick Castellanos roped a double into left-center field, that may very well have turned into a triple if not for an excellent job of cutting the ball off by Trent Grisham.

Nonetheless, Castellanos eventually scored on a Bryson Stott single, which he unsuccessfully tried to stretch into a double:

For the second time of the game, the plan to have a left-handed pitcher go through the lineup failed for the Phillies in the top of the fifth inning.

Juan Soto followed a walk of Jurickson Profar by hitting a 383-foot home run off of Brad Hand, allowing San Diego to retake the lead:

The lead didn’t last long, though, as Hoskins hit his second two-run home run of the night in the bottom of the fifth inning, this one a 417-foot shot off of Sean Manaea:

The Phillies then followed a familiar formula: Realmuto walked, and Harper doubled into the gap to bring him home:

As Harper stopped on second, he had a simple message after what may be the biggest hit of his career to this point:

Harper’s hit knocked Manaea out of the game, but Nick Castellanos then knocked Harper in by singling off the second-base bag against former Phillie Luis García:

García returned for the bottom of the sixth inning, and his results didn’t improve. With two outs, Kyle Schwarber hit a towering solo shot, his third blast of the NLCS:

J.T. Realmuto added an insurance run by leading off the bottom of the seventh inning with a solo home run, extending the lead to 10-6:

After an excessive workload in Game 3, Seranthony Domínguez and José Alvarado didn’t pitch in Game 4. Without his two best relievers, Rob Thomson pieced the game together using Noah Syndergaard, David Robertson and Zach Eflin to finish things out.

With the win, the Phillies take a commanding 3-1 lead in the NLCS. It’s hard to process the stunning postseason run that the Phillies have gone on in recent weeks, but they are now one win away from the eighth NL pennant in franchise history.

Zack Wheeler is slated to take the ball for the Phillies in Game 5 on Sunday, looking to continue a dominant postseason run in his first playoff start at Citizens Bank Park.

Shibe Vintage Sports Starting Pitching Performance

Mike Clevinger was spotted a four-run lead and did his best to give it all back. The 31-year-old walked one, while giving up three hits and three runs. He threw just 15 pitches, and failed to record an out.
The hope was that Bailey Falter would be able to go one time through the order in his first postseason appearance. Instead, he failed to get out of the first inning, allowing three hits and four earned runs. It’s entirely possible Game 4 is the last we’ll see of Falter this postseason, unless it’s on mop-up duty.

Ticket IQ Next Game