Derek Hill’s go-ahead grand slam sparks Phillies’ comeback win over Nationals
Hill's second career grand slam got the Phillies out of a 3-0 deficit and gave them the lead. An inning later, Bryce Harper added some insurance with a two-run homer to secure a 6-3 victory.
Derek Hill burst out of the batter’s box, bat still in hand, toothpick in his mouth, eyes locked on his ball as it carried out towards left-center field.
When he saw it clear the railing, the Phillies outfielder let the bat flip over his fingers. As he approached second, he couldn’t help but leap into the air with joy. His second career grand slam had turned a 3-0 Phillies deficit into a 4-3 lead over the Nationals with just a single swing.
“Thank God for Derek Hill,” interim manager Don Mattingly quipped.
An inning later, Bryce Harper followed it up with a two-run shot to dead center field, giving the Phillies plenty of insurance for a 6-3 win Monday night.
They had loaded the bases in the seventh without a hit. Bryan De La Cruz was hit by a pitch, and Bryson Stott and Edmundo Sosa drew back-to-back walks to set the table for Hill.
The outfielder stepped into the box hitless since July 20. He had missed a few games with a nagging lower-body injury, but even after returning to the lineup, he had struggled at the plate. He’d already had one opportunity with two runners on in the fifth, but had grounded into an inning-ending double play instead.
He wasn’t about to let it happen again. Nationals reliever Tom Cosgrove throws his sweeper over 75% of the time, and Hill was waiting for it. He watched a first-pitch sinker go by before teeing off on the sweeper, sending it 393 feet.
“I think D’s just prepared,” Mattingly said. “He’s a guy that I think knows his role. He’s ready for it. Kind of prepared for all the moments out there. He’s been through a lot in his career, so I think he’s a guy that understands his role and his value, and he’s just ready for it. He’s prepared all the time.”
And after returning to the top step for a curtain call, Hill wasn’t done.
In the top of the eighth, with Orion Kerkering on the mound protecting a one-run lead, Hill made a spectacular diving catch in center to rob José Tena of extra bases.
It’s not the first time Hill has had a big moment — or two — since the Phillies acquired him from the White Sox in June. He has made several highlight-reel catches, and blasted a pinch-hit, ninth-inning go-ahead homer also against the Nationals in June.
Hill credited his preparation and the coaching staff for allowing him to come through in these situations.
“I’m just happy to be out there playing. I mean, there’s no place I’d rather be,” Hill said. “If I could snap my fingers and be one place, it’d be on a big league field. I just go out there and have a bunch of joy, because it’s a blessing. People sometimes take it for granted, but you won’t see that from me.”
The Phillies did not acquire another right-handed bat at the trade deadline, and will rely on Hill and De La Cruz as their two righty outfielders going forward. They will be a part of platoons in center and left field, while Harper will become the team’s everyday right fielder to open a spot on the infield for second baseman Luis Arraez.
“The alignment, I think, is going to look fairly consistent. At least the way it feels right now,” Mattingly said.
Hill’s big swing in the seventh seemed to awaken a Phillies offense that had slumbered for most of the game. They had failed to generate much offense while the Nationals built an early lead against starter Aaron Nola.
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In the first inning, Nationals first baseman Abimelec Ortiz, recalled to replace Luis García Jr. after he was dealt to the Yankees, hammered a curveball for his first major league home run. Daylen Lile added a two-run homer in the second inning.
“The early runs, not what we were looking for, but after that, he really was able to bear down and just kind of keep getting out of innings, keep working through, kind of got us where we needed to go,” Mattingly said.
After the two early homers, Nola was able to keep the ball in the yard until he was lifted for Kyle Backhus in the seventh. He allowed six total hits, struck out five, and walked two.
“Threw up zeros, kept the guys in the game as long as I could, and then D-Hill with a huge hit,” Nola said.
The Phillies’ new reinforcements — Arraez, right-handed reliever Caleb Kilian, and left-handed reliever Brooks Raley — will report to the club on Tuesday. When they arrive, the Phillies will have a new defensive alignment, with Harper moving to the outfield, Alec Bohm moving to first, and Stott moving to third to open up second for Arraez.
In their final game with this alignment and lineup, the offense was limp at first. They mustered three hits against Nationals starter Andrew Alvarez, and harmed their own cause by grounding into two double plays.
In the seventh, the Nationals threatened to add on after Backhus committed a throwing error fielding a bunt from Nasim Nuñez. The speedy second baseman wound up on third as De La Cruz fumbled the ball in right, but the Phillies managed to prevent him from scoring. Nuñez was caught in a run down on a ball hit back to Backhus, and he was tagged out by Bohm.
Nationals manager Blake Butera was ejected for arguing the call.
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Backhus then managed to wriggle out of a jam by striking out Andrés Chaparro to strand two runners in scoring position.
Still, the Phillies offense seemed lethargic. That is, until patience from Stott and Sosa set up Hill’s big swing, which brought life back into the stadium.
“It’s incredible to be able to come through for the team and contribute,” Hill said. “I feel like the first two ABs, I was just barely off a little bit, and to be able to go out there and execute the plan that the hitting staff put together for us, was was pretty incredible.”
In the ninth inning, Jhoan Duran’s 25th save of the season was sealed by an automated ball-strike challenge, which overturned a ball call into a game-ending strikeout of Jacob Young.