Philadelphia Phillies bullpen gives Chase Utley a chance to beat the Miami Marlins in the 14th inning

Jun 26, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Chase Utley (26) is pied in the face after hitting a two RBI walk off home run in the bottom of the fourteenth inning in a game against the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies won 5-3 in the bottom of the fourteenth inning. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Many Philadelphia sports fans were likely captivated by the happenings in the NBA Draft last night. They were probably amazed that the 76ers – despite having about fifty picks – managed to come away without one player who will definitely help the team win next season.

And as the second round of the Draft churned on late into the night, some of those fans might have realized with amazement that the Phillies were still playing. While pundits were busy debating whether Joel Embiid would turn out to be the next Hakeem Olajuwon or Greg Oden, the Phillies and Marlins were engaged in a marathon game of baseball.

The teams battled until the 14th inning when the Phillies finally emerged victorious thanks to a two-run home run by Chase Utley.

Early on, it looked like the story of the game would be a familiar one: The Phillies wasted another good start by Cole Hamels by failing to provide him with any run support. Hamels gave up three runs in seven innings, with all three runs coming on solo homers.

It looked like Hamels was due to suffer a loss, but the Marlins let him off the hook in the bottom of the seventh. With two outs and a runner on third base, first baseman Jeff Baker botched a ground ball, and the Phillies were able to score a run.

Jun 26, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Justin De Fratus (30) pitches during the thirteenth inning of a game against the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies won 5-3 in the bottom of the fourteenth inning. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

That would be the end of the scoring by either team for quite some time. In the past, the prospect of having the Phillies bullpen pitch seven innings would have been frightening. But those days appear to be happily behind us. Jake Diekman, Jonathan Papelbon, Antonio Bastardo, Ken Giles, and Justin De Fratus combined for seven innings of scoreless relief and gave the Phillies offense a chance to finally win the game.

They finally came through in the 14th. Jimmy Rollins led off with an infield single, and then Utley finished things off.

Unfortunately for the Phillies, they won’t get much of a chance to rest. The Braves are in town tonight, and the game will start at 7:05. Kyle Kendrick gets the start for the Phillies, and it would be beneficial to the tired bullpen if he could pitch deep into the game.

In the meantime, fans are welcome to continue to debate the selection of Embiid. Did they select a future star or just another guy who will end up battling injuries his entire career?