Sunday, August 29, 2021

Game 128 - 2021 Topps Now #575 Brad Miller

Phillies 7
Diamondbacks 6 (11 Innings)
Game 128 - Friday Night, August 27th in Philadelphia
Record - 64-64, 2nd Place, 5 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Despite a record-setting 26th blown save by the bullpen (courtesy of Ian Kennedy) the Phillies willed their way to this win with a few extra inning clutch hits.

What It Means:  Hopefully this is the start of another winning streak?

What Happened:  Aaron Nola went 5 1/3 innings and he left with a runner on third and the Phillies holding a slim 2-1 lead, thanks to a two-run home run from Bryce Harper in the third.  Connor Brogdon entered the game and a quick sacrifice fly tied the score at 2-2.  J.T. Realmuto gave the Phillies a two-run lead once again in the seventh with a two-run single to center.  Kennedy allowed a single and a home run (from Christian Walker) from the first two batters he faced in the ninth and the game would go to extra innings.

The Diamondbacks took a 6-4 lead in the 10th when Ketel Marte homered off Enyel De Los Santos.  Brad Miller then dramatically tied the game again with a two-run home run of his own in the bottom of the inning.  That set up Jean Segura to deliver the winning hit in the 11th, scoring ghost-runner Ronald Torreyes, and the Phillies had a subdued celebration on the field.

Featured Card:  I was harsh towards Miller during this game, so I'll give him the card here.  This is his third Topps Now card (so far) this season, from his July 29th walk-off grand slam.

Field Report:  Doug and I were there for this game and given the latest Covid outbreak on the club (see below) he came up empty in his pre-game autograph hunt.  And I'll admit we didn't stay for the full game as Doug had an early morning baseball practice the next day.  I did snap and Tweet the photo shown below, showing a seemingly new feature at the ballpark.  After each Nola strikeout, the bank of lights above the scoreboard would quickly flash and arrange into a K.  We were back at the ballpark on Saturday night, and the Phillies didn't repeat this light show with Kyle Gibson on the mound.

Transactions:  I've stopped counting how many players and games have been lost this season to Covid protocols and some of the Phillies players opting to not get vaccinated.  Zach Eflin (rhp), Luke Williams (inf) and Andrew Knapp (c) were placed on the Covid injured list.  Rafael Marchan (c) and De Los Santos (rhp) were recalled and Jorge Bonifacio (of) had his contract selected.  Finally, Chase Anderson (rhp) was released.

2021 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2021 Season Summary Index 2021 Chachi Set Checklist

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