Trea Turner does it all in Phillies’ walk-off victory over the Braves
The Phillies have now won eight of their last nine at home
Trea Turner watched the ball shoot through the right side of the infield and pumped his fist as he rounded first base.
The fifth at-bat was the charm.
It only makes sense that the Phillies’ odds of winning get better the more they’re able to bring the top of their top-heavy lineup to the plate. That’s always the case, every time they play.
But Turner had another reason for wanting a fifth at-bat Saturday night. After doubling twice, stealing two bases, and playing dazzling defense at shortstop, he struck out with the go-ahead run on third base in the eighth inning.
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“I wanted the second chance,” Turner said, “to kind of have that at-bat back.”
Sure enough, the top of the order came back around in the 10th inning. And this time, Turner punched a two-strike pitch to right field to deliver the Phillies a 3-2, 10-inning walk-off against the Braves, their third consecutive victory after dropping three games to the Mets in New York earlier in the week.
And just like that, the Phillies (79-57) hold a six-game lead again in the National League East after the second-place Mets lost at home to the Marlins.
“Pretty proud of just getting up there again and having a better at-bat after that,” Turner said. “But just good at-bats all day, really, and made some good plays, too.”
Indeed, Turner did it all. He walked and stole second and third in the first inning. He lined a gap-splitting double the other way to right-center field in the third and pulled a double to left field in the sixth.
But let’s talk about the defense. Turner helped Cristopher Sánchez by starting rally-killing double plays in the second and fourth innings. In the third, he made a Derek Jeter-esque jump throw to first base to retire Nick Allen. Two batters later, he ranged into the hole to make a play on Matt Olson.
“I always felt like I should be a better defender than I was in the past, and I knew I was capable,” Turner said. “It wasn’t from a lack of effort or work. it was more just finding the right ways to be consistent.”
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Hold that thought. First, about the game-winning rally.
A pitcher’s duel between Sánchez and Braves ace Chris Sale in his first start after missing 73 days with a fractured rib was tied 1-1 after nine innings. The Phillies trailed 2-1 entering the bottom of the 10th, when Nick Castellanos got hit by a pitch. With one out, Bryson Stott blooped a single to right field to load the bases.
After Brandon Marsh struck out, Turner quickly fouled off two pitches. Down to his last strike, he rifled a 94-mph fastball from lefty Dylan Dodd into right field to score Alec Bohm and Castellanos.
Game over.
“I felt pretty good, like I saw the first two pitches, so I didn’t have to get an idea of what they looked like,” Turner said. “It was just a matter of putting the middle of the bat on the ball and keeping it simple. Got another pitch to hit and found a hole.”
It kicked off a celebration around Turner in sold-out Citizens Bank Park. And now, the Phillies will aim for a rare four-game sweep of the Braves on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball.
“[The Mets series] was obviously a very important series, but I felt like it was kind of made bigger than we should have,” Turner said. “I don’t know why it happened. I don’t think anybody knows. But to bounce back and just keep playing good baseball I think is great.
“We’re finding a way to win offensively, and I think when you win multiple ways, that’s good.”
Turner is helping with his defense, too. Remember all the offseason talk about how the Phillies needed to move him from shortstop? Turns out it was premature.
A year ago, Turner ranked three outs below average among shortstops, according to Statcast, raising questions about how long the 32-year-old could stay at the position. Entering the weekend, he was 14 outs above average, fourth-best among all shortstops.
How’s that for a dramatic makeover?
“To his credit, he’s been really open-minded and worked at things,” infield coach Bobby Dickerson said. “He’s been diligent. He almost feels guilty — no, that’s not the right word — out of place, if he misses grounders now, so that’s a good thing.
“We’ve all been in a hurry to rush him off of shortstop. I’ve been on record saying it: I think the guy has a chance to even get better next year.”
Before the season, manager Rob Thomson challenged Turner to post a .380 on-base percentage (he’s at .353), steal 40 bases (he has 34), and score 100 runs (92 and counting).
Yet the defensive improvement is what stands out most.
“I remember I had a college coach that, he would tell me, ‘Just complete every play,’ and that’s kind of always been my goal,” Turner said. “My entire career, it’s ‘Just complete the play,’ and I feel like I’m doing that at a way higher rate.”
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After completing the two highlight-reel plays in the third inning, Turner began joking with Sánchez.
“He was telling me like, ‘Strike ‘em out! Strike ‘em all out,’” Sánchez said through a team interpreter. “And I’m like, ‘But you’re my teammate!’ We were just joking, and it’s just great to see how much he has improved back there.”
It’s a reminder of how good Turner is and how much he can do to win a game.
Especially if he gets an extra at-bat.