Phillies fans have patiently waited 4,746 days for such a showdown, and their patience is finally being rewarded with this critical game.
Gurriel fouled off two pitches before striking out on the next, leaving two down with bases loaded and no outs. Stott steps up as the potential tying run, igniting an eruption in the crowd!
Jose Altuve
Jose Altuve hit two homers against the Yankees to bring his career total up to 29 – most postseason homers among active players and tied with Mickey Mantle for fifth most in MLB history.
Altuve took a Tyler Glasnow four-seam fastball of 100.4 mph for his second series homer in the first inning. Unfortunately, Altuve exited during the next inning due to fouling a pitch off his left leg; X-rays came back negative and are considered day-to-day.
He is the only player in MLB history to hit 300 doubles and win six Silver Slugger Awards, not to mention five Gold Glove Awards as an outstanding defensive player.
Altuve has been part of three American League Championship Series (ALCS) championship teams and won one World Series championship. He was twice honored as AL Most Valuable Player, while in 2017, he received the Hank Aaron Award. Additionally, in 2019, he won a Rawlings Gold Glove Award and his sixth Silver Slugger Award.
Astros manager Carl Bean has been an inspirational leader, setting an exemplary standard in humility and excellence in playmaking. His joy for the game has always been infectious; he has had an enormously positive effect on young players on his team.
Rhys Hoskins
Rhys Hoskins suffered a ruptured left anterior cruciate ligament during his final spring training game and will miss the 2023 baseball season due to this injury. Hoskins leaped high into the air to catch a ground ball but landed awkwardly and then crumpled onto grass, appearing in pain – an MRI later confirmed his diagnosis of an ACL tear.
Hoskins underwent ACL reconstruction surgery Thursday and is expected to miss seven to nine months, although the Phillies hope he can return for their postseason run. Kyle Schwarber also tore his ACL but made an incredible comeback en route to winning a World Series, offering Hoskins some hope.
After a day-long of games, the Philadelphia Phillies got their best opportunity against St. Louis’ tight bullpen in the ninth inning. JT Realmuto opened with a single, while walks to Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos loaded up the bases before Matt Waldron struck out Alec Bohm before Edmundo Sosa drove in the tying run with a single to right center field.
Zach Eflin made history at Busch Stadium by striking out three consecutive Cardinal batters to keep the Phillies within striking distance of an unlikely comeback win against Atlanta and set up a divisional series in Philadelphia.
Bryce Harper
Harper is a right-handed professional baseball player playing for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). After being selected as a first-overall draft pick in 2015, he has made quite an impactful first-year debut – leading his team in home runs, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage and teaching in walks while placing second for stolen bases.
On August 6th, Harper hit his 17th homer of the season, surpassing Ken Griffey Jr. for most homers by an under-21 player in MLB history. This was also his second consecutive multi-homer game – making him the youngest player this season to do so!
Harper was also responsible for breaking the franchise record for most homers hit in one season with 24 homers hit in just 84 games, contributing significantly to why Philadelphia is one of the best teams in the National League.
Bryce Harper started his week by joining Lehigh Valley IronPigs – Phillies Triple-A affiliate – as part of his rehab from a thumb injury. Coca-Cola Park in Allentown was packed, as was Gwinnett Stripers left-hander Thomas Eshelman; Harper homered twice against Eshelman before giving way to Dillon Tate, who struck out two batters before retreating out into relief for more innings pitched by Dillon Tate.
Alec Bohm
Alec Bohm went 2-for-3 in Tuesday’s win against the Angels for Philadelphia with a double, homer, and an additional run scored; his 15th of the season brought his slash line up to 283/.339/.440 with 82 RBI and 64 runs scored over 118 games.
His first base defense has also improved considerably this season, as the former top prospect has decreased his strikeout rate while increasing his walk rate and tapping into his power despite having a low pull-side percentage, making him an effective fantasy asset this season.
Bohm led Philadelphia’s offense on Saturday with four hits – including two homers – as they pummeled Washington’s pitching. Nick Castellanos added another home run and doubles, and Kyle Schwarber hit his sixth grand slam as Philadelphia racked up 18 hits against their Nationals opponents in a 19-4 rout of Washington.
But the game’s highlight was Bohm’s performance at third base in the second inning. Although he missed an easy fielding opportunity on Owen Miller’s grounder that allowed Milwaukee to take a 3-2 lead with one out and runners on both corners, he made up for it by throwing out Josh Harrison at home plate to maintain their information – just one example of Bohm’s progress as a major leaguer.
Jean Segura
Jean Segura’s bat flips, and brilliant defense contributed significantly to Philadelphia’s victory in Game 3 of their National League Division Series with San Diego Padres. Serving as their starting second baseman, Segura was an essential piece of both Philadelphia’s offense and defense – particularly during an extraordinary fourth inning where he dropped a shortstop’s flip throw, which allowed runners to advance, before quickly recovering with an outfield catch to end it and end the inning.
The crowd erupted. Segura was cheered back to first base by his teammates as he ran before, and Philadelphia eventually went on to win the game.
As the Phillies celebrate their first playoff appearance since 2012, they’re looking to players like Segura to lead them. Though still young at 25, this 25-year-old already has made his mark here at Citizens Bank Park.
The next step for the Phillies will be winning a World Series, and with Segura’s bat and glove displayed prominently, they remain confident they can achieve that feat.
Luis Castillo
Luis Castillo has found success after an initially slow start, pitching seven innings without giving up a run in his most recent outing, now boasting a 2.71 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and an impressive 155:35 K: BB ratio over 133.1 innings across 25 starts.
Castillo got off to an uncertain start Friday yet still earned no decision in a three-hit shutout loss to the Detroit Tigers. Though he gave up two homers to DJ Stewart during the fourth and fifth innings, he still made a strong effort overall.
Castillo allowed multiple home runs in his August start for the second time in three starts, yet still produced an effective outing with 11 strikeouts and two walks allowed in an overall quality outing.
On Monday against the Twins, Aaron Judge has been stellar, so he will look to continue this impressive stretch when taking to the mound again. Judge has maintained an outstanding 2.23 ERA with 1.03 WHIP and an excellent 170:88 K: BB ratio through 14 starts — showing some of the finest control in baseball this season.
