Phillies finally beat Marlins, 5-4, in 15 innings and can still finish with first winning season since 2011
Adam Haseley, with the bases loaded, hit a grounder to the shortstop that was botched by Miami’s five-man infield, and the winning run scored to finish a game that started on Friday and ended on Saturday.
Andrew Knapp batted third for most of his college career at California, but the Golden Bears practiced their bunting nearly every day.
So the Phillies catcher liked his chances Friday night in the 13th inning of a 5-4 win over Miami to move a runner from second base. But his bunt went right to the pitcher, and Rhys Hoskins was out at third, and a rally would soon be extinguished.
“I felt like I let the Pac-12 down,” Knapp said. “I feel like I should get a bunt down every time.”
Two innings later, Knapp received a chance at redemption. The Phillies — just like they did in the 13th inning — started the 15th inning with runners on first and second to bring up Knapp with no outs. He bunted again but kept it from the pitcher, and the runners advanced.
Two batters later, the game was over. Adam Haseley, with the bases loaded, hit a grounder to the shortstop that was botched by Miami’s five-man infield, and the winning run scored to finish a game that started on Friday and ended on Saturday.
“We could have just let that game get away from us and went home,” Knapp said. “But we’re playing for each other and playing for the city even though the season didn’t go the way we wanted it to. I thought it was really great to pull that one off.”
The win allows the Phillies to maybe finish this disappointing season with a winning record. If the Phillies win on Saturday and Sunday, they’ll finish above .500 for the first time since 2011. A win on Saturday will avoid a losing season.
They started June in first place in the National League East but enjoyed just one day in possession of a playoff spot — wild card or division — since Aug. 8. Bryce Harper’s walk-off grand slam on Aug. 16 tied the Phillies for the wild-card. That seemed like the moment the season would turn. But they followed it by going just 17-22 and spent the final six weeks of the season fading away.
The season ends on Sunday. After an offseason that saw the team commit nearly a half-billion dollars to its roster, the Phillies are fighting to avoid a losing season.
“I don’t think I need to say,” manager Gabe Kapler said when asked what it would mean to finish with a winning record. “I think the players demonstrated that tonight."
Scott Kingery left the game after the fourth inning with blurry vision and believes he has a vision problem that needs correction. Kingery joins Jay Bruce, J.T. Realmuto, and Jean Segura as active players who are injured for the final weekend.
The Phillies used seven relief pitchers after Vince Velasquez lasted just four innings in his final start of the season. The bullpen did not allow a run or walk in 11 innings as they kept the Phillies alive. Cole Irvin and Ranger Suarez both pitched three innings of relief.
“I felt really confident with every [pitcher] that came in,” said Knapp, who caught all 15 innings. “I think they all knew that we were in that thing for the long haul and kept throwing zeroes up there. I figured we would win this one.”
Velasquez allowed four runs on seven hits, including a homer by Harold Ramirez in the second inning. The righthander made 23 starts this season, but his role in 2020 remains unclear. The Phillies have to upgrade their rotation this winter, and there could be just one or two openings behind Aaron Nola, Jake Arrieta, and the reinforcements they acquire.
If the Phillies hold onto Velasquez, they could begin next season with him as the fifth starter, a role that Spencer Howard should assume by May. Or they could decide now that he’s better suited for a relief role as perhaps a full offseason would help him tackle that transition. Velasquez said he still sees himself as a starter.
“I would say there’s been improvements,” Velasquez said. “The last three or four starts I’ve had, I’ve been getting guys out with curve balls. It was something that I was utilizing and can really use as an arsenal. It’s just matter of learning when to use it.”
This season, the Phillies hoped, would be the one that returned them to October baseball. They wanted to raise the banner for baseball’s fastest rebuilding process to reach the postseason. Instead, they added five all-stars but stretched the definition of “meaningful baseball” for the season’s final month.
But they can still finish a disappointing season with a winning record. They just need to win two more games against a team with 104 losses. They showed on Friday night that they’re willing to hang around long enough for it to happen.
“The play that led to the error was an adjustment by Andrew Knapp,” Kapler said of Knapp’s after-midnight bunt. “Everyone has seen, he’s made quite a few adjustments recently. In particular this time, he knew that he had to get the sacrifice bunt down the third base line and make the third-baseman field it. And he did. He’s been sensational for us.”