The Philadelphia Phillies outscored the Arizona Diamondbacks 15-3 in the first two games of the NLCS, slugging their way to a commanding 2-0 lead and looking, as ESPN‘s Jeff Passan put it, like a “machine.”
From there, the Diamondbacks would win four of five games — including Games 6 and 7 in the hostile environment of Citizens Bank Park — to shock Philadelphia and the baseball world, claiming the NL pennant.
Regardless of where it ranks exactly on the list, Game 7 — the first that the Phillies played in the 141-year history of their franchise — will be remembered as one of the darkest days the team has ever had.
There maybe wasn’t a lasting image like Greg Luzinski’s failed attempt at catching a fly ball in the ninth inning of Game 3 of the 1977 NLCS, or Ryan Howard lying in agony on the field after the Phillies were eliminated by the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 5 of the 2011 NLDS. But individual at-bats by Nick Castellanos, Trea Turner and Bryce Harper Tuesday won’t soon be forgotten by Phillies fans, even if they try to.
Castellanos came to the plate with runners on the corners and one out in the bottom of the fourth inning. Bryson Stott had already driven in Alec Bohm with a double, and advanced to third base on a J.T. Realmuto single.
With the benefit of having seen the throw home from Lourdes Gurriel Jr., some will question whether third base coach Dusty Wathan should have sent Stott on Realmuto’s single. But with only one out and Castellanos set to hit next, the third base coach probably made the right decision in the moment to hold Stott at third base.
The problem is that Castellanos didn’t make the Diamondbacks pay. With starter Brandon Pfaadt seemingly on the ropes, Castellanos went down swinging on four pitches. Pfaadt then worked around a suddenly-hot Brandon Marsh, walking him to load the bases and bring the light-hitting Johan Rojas up the plate. Rojas struck out on four pitches himself to leave the bases loaded and keep the Phillies from hanging a crooked number.
In the top half of the fifth inning, Arizona responded by plating two runs and taking a lead they would never relinquish.
Perhaps manager Rob Thomson should have pinch hit for Rojas, but it was relatively early in the game and it’s unclear how much more of an advantage would have been gained by having Cristian Pache, Jake Cave or Edmundo Sosa hit there. And you would then have lost Rojas’ all-world glove for the remainder of the game. It was the type of situation where Rhys Hoskins could have made an impact, had he been ready to be on the roster for the NLCS.
Still, the worst part about the inning was Castellanos’ at-bat.
Castellanos homered twice in each of the final two games of the NLDS. Had there been an MVP for the series, he probably would have won it. He even homered in his first at-bat of the NLCS, back when it felt like a matter of whether the Phillies would win the series in four or five games.
After that, though, Castellanos didn’t record a hit the rest of the series. Castellanos went 0-for-23 following the Game 1 home run, striking out 11 times, including when the Phillies had a chance to break the win-or-go-home game wide open.
“I had a terrible at-bat,” Castellanos admitted after the game. “[It was] me wanting too much to get the runner in, instead of just seeing what the pitcher was going to give me first. And that’s on me.”
What, in the estimation of Thomson, caused Castellanos to get from scalding-hot to ice-cold so quickly?
“That’s Nick. Sometimes from day-to-day, he might strike out three times one day and hit two home runs the next,” Thomson said. “That’s who he is. It’s just more about staying back and trying not to do too much. It’s the same thing I say about him every day when he has a bad day. But he carried us there for a bit. He’s a really good hitter, and I’m glad he’s on our side.”
Despite Castellanos failing to come through in the bottom of the fourth inning, the Phillies had another opportunity to reclaim the lead in the bottom of the seventh inning.
After Diamondbacks reliever Andrew Saalfrank walked Cristian Pache and Kyle Schwarber, manager Torey Lovullo removed the lefty in favor of right-hander Kevin Ginkel. It was a tough ask of Ginkel, who had to come in with two runners on, one out and the two biggest free-agent signings in Phillies history set to come to the plate in Turner and Harper. And the 29-year-old didn’t blink.
Turner — who had previously failed in his puzzling fifth-inning attempt to lay down a bunt — flew out to shallow center field on the fourth pitch of his at-bat.
While he had some defensive lapses, Turner also had moments of brilliance in his first postseason with the Phillies. Turner made a game-saving diving stop to start a double play in a Game 1 victory over the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS. For much of the run, Turner was the best hitter for the Phillies, finishing the postseason with a .347 batting average.
But a whirlwind first season in Philadelphia came to an unceremonious end for Turner, as he went 0-for-8 in Games 6 and 7. Right or wrong, that’s what many will remember about Turner’s first playoff run with the Phillies.
“I tried to do too much and put myself in bad counts,” Turner said. “It kind of came down to [them] making good pitches and me not doing my job. The chances were there.”
No one will ever be able to accuse Harper of not being clutch. He delivered countless game-tying or go-ahead home runs late in contests during the the 2023 regular season, and into the postseason. That, of course, was on the heels of him winning NLCS MVP in 2022. At this point, it’s hard to have a conversation about the best postseason hitters of all-time and not at least mention Harper.
With all of that said, Harper didn’t record a hit in his last seven at-bats of the postseason. He did walk once in Game 6, as it was clear the Diamondbacks were determined to not let Harper beat them. But the two-time NL MVP felt like he left some meat on the bone over the last two games of the NLCS, especially when he flew out against the right-handed Ginkel to end the seventh inning.
“On a personal level, I thought Merrill [Kelly] threw the ball really well yesterday,” Harper said.
“And then today, I wish I had two pitches back,” Harper acknowledged. “I think the opportunity in those moments … not being able to come through there … especially against Gink … got a heater and just missed it.”
This trio almost certainly isn’t going away anytime soon. Harper and Turner certainly aren’t. Castellanos is owed $60 million over the next three seasons, and the Phillies would likely have to pay to facilitate a trade of the 31-year-old. They would also probably have to re-sign Rhys Hoskins and feel comfortable with Harper returning to right field on a full-time basis, neither of which are guarantees. He’s got an edge to him, but you get the sense that Castellanos is a very good teammate and unquestionably that he’s a hard worker. For whatever flaws he has as a player, he was an effective run producer for most of the season. The Phillies may just have to live with the valleys from him.
So from here, the feeling is that Castellanos, Turner and Harper will all be key cogs for the 2024 Phillies. Whether or not the Phillies get a third consecutive opportunity at making a deep playoff run — and exorcising the demons of Game 7 — is less clear.
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