Sunday, July 16, 2023

Game 87 - Pache's Pinch-Hit Blast Send Phils to Victory!

2023 Topps Now #535
Phillies 4
, Marlins 3
Game 87 - Friday Night, July 7th in Miami
Record - 48-39, 3rd Place, 11 games behind the Braves

Completely Unnecessary Post-Vacation Game Recap Post 8 of 10

One Sentence Summary:  Cristian Pache hit a dramatic, ninth inning, pinch-hit, two-run home run to give the Phillies an unexpected 4-3 win over the Marlins.

What It Means:  Not to spoil the ending, but this would be the final road win in the Phillies impressive 13-game road win streak, matching the club's longest streak since 1976.

What Happened:  The Marlins scored three runs early off Phillies' starter Zack Wheeler, taking a 3-0 lead into the sixth inning.  With Sandy Alcantara cruising for the Marlins, J.T. Realmuto connected for a solo home run in the top of the sixth.  Alcantara would retire two batters in the seventh before yielding to the bullpen.  Trailing 3-1, and with closer A.J. Puk on the mound, Realmuto singled to start the inning and he'd come home on an RBI double from Alec Bohm.  Pache came to bat for Brandon Marsh and just cleared the center field wall with his huge home run, giving the Phillies a 4-3 lead.  Craig Kimbrel kept the Marlins from scoring in the bottom of the ninth, recording his 14th save.

Featured Card:  Pache earned a Topps Now card for his heroics, and I'm taking the unusual step here of featuring a screen shot of that card for this post.  This will be Pache's first Phillies baseball card, and hopefully I'll have a physical version of the card in hand soon.

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