Game 160 - Phils Rally Late, But It's Not Enough

2023 Choice Lehigh
Valley IronPigs #27

Mets 4, Phillies 3 (Game 1)
Game 160 - Saturday Afternoon, September 30th in Flushing
Record - 89-71

One Sentence Summary:  Taijuan Walker struggled early and the Phillies' offense was mostly quiet until the late innings in this 4-3 loss.

What It Means:  The weather in New York necessitated a double header on Saturday as Friday's game was rained out.  The Phillies are still waiting to find out who they'll play in the Wild Card Series.

What Happened:  Walker allowed four runs in the first and second innings, and then settled in to throw five scoreless.  The Phillies had one hit through six innings - a fourth inning single from J.T. Realmuto.  In the eighth, Mets' starting pitcher Tylor Megill allowed a pair of singles to start the inning.  Edmundo Sosa was able to bring home the Phillies' first run with an RBI single.  In the ninth, Realmuto walked and was doubled home by Brandon Marsh.  Weston Wilson singled to bring home Marsh, making it 4-3 Mets, and then stole second and third base.  With Wilson, as the tying run, on third, Jake Cave struck out and Cristian Pache flew out to end the ballgame.

Featured Card:  Luis F. Ortiz pitched a clean ninth, striking out a pair.  He was up and down several times throughout the year, pitching in 14 games overall and owning a save and a 3.32 ERA in 19 innings pitched.  He'll likely never appear on a Phillies baseball card, but I have this card of his, from the IronPigs team set, in my collection.

Transaction:   In an effort to rest some pitching arms and plan a postseason roster, the Phillies made roster moves before and after this first game of the double header.  Dylan Covey (rhp) was placed on the 15-day injured list with low back pain and Rodolfo Castro (inf) was optioned to the spring training complex in Clearwater.  Ortiz (rhp) was recalled along with Wilson (inf).

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