Phillies’ Alec Bohm says his benching was ‘a little surprising,’ but he isn’t pouting

Alec Bohm started the All-Star Game in July but found himself on the bench in October as the Phillies sat their everyday third baseman on Sunday for Game 2 of the National League Division Series.

“I’ve been an everyday player here the last few years, so obviously it was a little surprising,” Bohm said after the Phillies evened the series with a 7-6 win over Mets. “But it is what it is. They’re not my decisions. It’s not about me. It’s about the Phillies winning the game.”

Bohm saw just seven pitches in Game 1 as he went 0-for-4. He smashed his helmet after grounding out in the eighth inning, seeming to wear the frustrations of a lineup that was shut down in the series opener. Manager Rob Thomson replaced Bohm in Game 2 with Edmundo Sosa, who went 0-for-2 and made a throwing error before being subbed for Bohm in the seventh inning.

NLDS: Mets defeat Phillies 3-1

Game 1: Mets 6, Phillies 2 | Hayes | Murphy

Game 2: Phillies 7, Mets 6 | Hayes | Murphy

Game 3: Mets 7, Phillies 2 | Hayes | Murphy

Game 4: Mets 4, Phillies 1 | Hayes | Murphy

“I wanted to get some energy in the lineup with Sosa, he’s kind of our energy guy,” Thomson said before Game 2. “Bohm’s not swinging the bat particularly well, but he’s not the only one. He’s frustrated. But I just wanted to get Sosa in there.”

Bohm finished the season with the Phillies’ third-highest batting average (.280) and an OPS (.779) that was better than league average. But his numbers trailed off in the second half as Bohm hit just .251 after the All-Star break with a .681 OPS. He returned in September from the injured list with a hand injury and struggled, registering just two extra-base hits in his final 47 at-bats.

“I know he’s frustrated because he wants to produce and he’s a professional, and so he is frustrated,” Thomson said before the game.

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Bohm popped up on the first pitch in the eighth inning as a pinch hitter for Sosa. He played the final two innings and will likely be in the lineup on Tuesday night for Game 3 against left-hander Sean Manaea.

Bohm said he’ll be ready.

“It’s a great day,” he said about Sunday’s win. “There’s a selfish side of me that I wish I was playing, wish I was starting, whatever. But the game moves along, I get in there in a big spot, don’t come through, it is what it is, but out there playing defense in the biggest innings of the game. I can go pout about it and have a bad attitude about it. Or just stay focused on the game and control what I can control.”