Sunday, September 24, 2023

Game 155 - Harper, Offense Dismantle Mets in Win

2023 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards
Phillies 7
, Mets 5
Game 155 - Saturday Afternoon, September 23rd in Philadelphia
Record - 86-69, 2nd Place, 13 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Playing in a windy, steady mist, Bryce Harper drove home three runs to support Zack Wheeler's outing as the Phillies overcame the Mets, 7-5.

What It Means:  If the Phillies win on Sunday AND the Marlins OR the Cubs lose, the Phillies will clinch a postseason spot.

What Happened:  Wheeler won his 13th, allowing five runs (three earned) over seven innings, while striking out six.  Gregory Soto and Jose Alvarado kept the Mets from scoring in the final two innings, with Alvarado earning his 10th save.

The Mets were up 2-0 in the bottom of the second when Harper cut the deficit in half with a solo home run, his 20th of the year.  J.T. Realmuto then reached on a Francisco Lindor error, and scored the tying run when Nick Castellanos tripled him home.  (The triple resulted in a ball misplayed by center fielder Brandon Nimmo.)  Alec Bohm put the Phillies ahead with a home run in the third, and Harper provided some cushion with a two-run single to right in the fifth.

Featured Card:  This is Harper's somewhat rare 2023 team-issued photo card.  My hopes the Phillies would release a full set of 2023 photo cards have been dashed, and instead collectors will need to piece together the set through autograph requests or future grab bag purchases.  I have no idea how many of these photo cards were created this year, and my guess is the production numbers are much lower than in prior years.  I sincerely hope the Phillies return to selling their fantastic photo card sets in 2024.

1 comment:

Steve F. said...

From your mouth to John Middleton’s ears—bring back the photocards!