Wednesday, August 28, 2024

Game 131 - Harper Walks It Off with Clutch RBI-Single in 10th

2024 Topps Heritage #405
Phillies 3
Astros 2 (10 Innings)
Game 131 - Monday Night, August 26th in Philadelphia
Record - 77-54, 1st Place, 6 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  With Zack Wheeler and the bullpen holding the Astros at bay, the Phillies won the huge first game of this series when Bryce Harper delivered a walk-off single in the 10th inning.

What It Means:  I think the Phillies are back, and this is the kind of game they would have won before the post All-Star Game swoon.

What Happened:  Wheeler went six innings, allowing a pair of runs on six hits while striking out six.  Orion Kerkering, Jeff Hoffman, Carlos Estevez and Matt Strahm followed with a scoreless inning each, with Strahm picking up the win.  Trailing 2-0 in the fifth, Brandon Marsh got the Phillies on the board with his 13th home run of the season.  An inning later, Harper led off the sixth with a double and would score on a Nick Castellanos line drive single to center.

In the top of the 10th, Johan Rojas made a fantastic catch to preserve the tie.  In the bottom of the 10th, and with Kyle Schwarber at second as the ghost runner, Harper delivered his big hit to give the Phillies the win.

Featured Card:  Somehow I've not yet featured Harper's 1975 Topps-inspired card from this year's Topps Heritage set.

Transactions:  There were a flurry of transactions before this game.  Kolby Allard (lhp) was optioned to Lehigh Valley and Weston Wilson (inf) was placed on the paternity list.  Max Lazar (rhp) and Buddy Kennedy (inf) were recalled.  Jose Alvarado (lhp) was placed on the restricted list for personal reasons with Michael Mercado (rhp) taking his place in the bullpen.

No comments: