The Philadelphia Phillies defeated the San Diego Padres 10-6 Saturday night in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series. The Phillies now have a 3-1 lead over the Padres in their best of seven series heading into Game Five on Sunday. With their victory, the Phillies will advance to their first world championship since 2009, where they will wait for the winner. From the Houston Astros and the New York Yankees Championship Series. (The Astros lead that series 3-0.)
Velez slipped early, with Padres jumping 4-0 at the top of the first half. Philadelphia responded again with three runs of its own in the lower half of the frame, leaving both outside shooters looking inside before the second half to roll. Then Velez tied the match in the fourth inning.
Padres regained the lead in fifth in Juan Soto’s two-stroke shot, his first in the post-season. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a San Diego night. Velez’s stars went on the offensive once more, turning their 6-4 delay into a 10-6 lead within three rounds. Rhys Hoskins hit twice at home, Bryce Harper had a pair of RBI doubles, and Kyle Schwarber and JT Realmuto added their singles teammates for lockups.
Velez Bolbin was able to make this lead stand the rest of the way. As a result, the Phillies are now one victory away from claiming the NL flag.
Here are six more things to know about the Phillies’ Game 4 win.
Appetizer falter
Velez who started bowler Billy Walter had a couple of sprints to start the bout, but that’s it. He gave up his home run to Mane Machado before he walked and walked twice and his day was already over with Padres leading 3-0. The score will be 4-0 before we hit the bottom of the first. A solo followed by a Rhys Hoskins home sprint, then a picnic and then a Bryce Harper double meant the score was 4-3, Padres’ Mike Clevenger finished as well. Clevenger did not score an exit.
This was the second time in the history of an MLB match that none of the players had taken him out of the first. The full story is here.
Martinez, Brogdon settle things
Unlike the starters, Padres loyalist Nick Martinez and Phillies’ loyal Conor Brogdon were excellent early in the game, taking things into the middle innings at 4-3 Padres. Brogdon has allowed his inherited runner to score a hit, but this would be the only hit he’s given up in 2 1/3 of innings.
Martinez was better. It was awesome, actually. He retired all nine hits he faced into three perfect rounds. Hit three and made some poor contact.
Padres left Sean Manaea, on the other hand, was abused for five runs in 1 1/3 innings, allowing the Phils to rush in front during the fifth of four runs.
Big Soto Explosion
Juan Soto was relatively calm in these qualifying rounds. Hell, he’s been relatively quiet ever since the Padres made such a fuss about the trade deadline to get him. Prior to Game 4, Soto was hitting .231/.302/.282 in the playoffs. He had a huge weakness in Game 2, but that’s been his biggest impact up until this point.
At the top of the fifth inning of Game 4, though, came Soto.
Earlier in the match, some Velez fans were heard chanting “exaggerated”. Soto hit five lucky winners in the 2019 qualifiers on his way to the World National Championship title. This was his first match in the 2022 qualifiers.
Phyllis stars hit back
The Velez was not deterred by Soto’s home run. Instead, the top of their arrangement should work into the bottom half of the fifth.
The rally began when Rhys Hoskins launched his second home run tonight to tie the match 6-6. Hoskins’ performance was the eighth post-season multiplayer game in Phillies history, According to Sarah Lange of MLB.com.
JT Realmuto was walking, then scoring a Bryce Harper brace to give the Phillies a fresh lead. Harper then scored himself on Nick Castellanos’ twisted single that bounced off second base and lifted the Phillies by 8-6.
Phillies isn’t finished either. On the sixth hit, Kyle Schwarber fired a powerful shot on his own to widen the difference to 9-6:
Then on the seventh, Realmuto fired a singles home game to make it 10-6:
Add all that and the top five hitters of the Phillies – Schwarber, Hoskins, Realmuto, Harper and Castellanos – combined nine hits, four home runs and nine runs.
What does history say about Velez’s chances?
The Phillies are now 3-1 up in the series with their win on Saturday night. Historically, teams that climb 3-1 in the best series out of seven go on to win the series 85 percent of the time, according to WhoWins. This appears to bode well for the Phillies’ chances of progressing to their first world championship since 2009. Who knows, they might be taking out the series on Sunday in front of their home audience.
Next
We’ll do it again on Sunday afternoon with Game Five. This game will be in the morning, with the first pitch set for 2:37 p.m. ET (weather permitting).
On the hill it will be Game 1 rematch. Yu Darvish was very good in the playoffs and only allowed two solo homers in seven rounds of action against the Phillies on Tuesday. Of course, Phillies Ice was outdone by Zach Wheeler. Wheeler gave up one hit and one walk in seven goalless innings.
After what we just witnessed in Game 4, both teams will likely be hoping to get more details on these newbies once again.