The Phillies defeated the Padres, 10-6, giving them a 3-1 series lead.
The Philadelphia Phillies are knocking on the door of the Fall Classic. The club is just one win away from reaching the World Series after beating the San Diego Padres in epic comeback fashion during Game 4 on Saturday at Citizens Bank Park.
Phillies starter Bailey Falter failed to make it out of the first inning, as he surrendered four runs — putting his team in an early deficit. Manager Rob Thomson’s squad managed to fight back and score three runs of their own the next half-inning — two of which came from a Rhys Hoskins home run to left field.
The Big Fella#RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/nyMBzXpdhd
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) October 23, 2022
Philadelphia tied the game, 4-4, in the fourth inning, only to cough up the lead again in the top of the fifth inning — with Juan Soto slugging a two-run home run to right field. The Phillies bats continued to rally and were able to score four runs of their own in the bottom of the fifth — highlighted with another Hoskins two-run home run.
The Phillies kept the Padres off the scoreboard after that — as Noah Syndergaard and David Robertson pitched a combined three scoreless innings.
One of the more memorable parts of the game came in the sixth, when Kyle Schwarber demolished a pitch from Padres right-hander Luis García to straightaway center field.
Kyle Schwarber to dead center! pic.twitter.com/BwYLzMOKdv
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) October 23, 2022
The Phils will look to lock up the series on Sunday, as their ace Zack Wheeler takes the mound. He will be opposed by Yu Darvish, who has pitched well and could shut down some of the offense. It will be key for the Phillies to take advantage of scoring situations and not waste at-bats or opportunities against the right-hander.
If the Phillies win, they would avoid having to go back to San Diego for a Game 6 and 7 (if necessary). They would also clinch a ticket to the World Series for the first time in 13 years when they lost to the New York Yankees — Thomson’s former team of nearly 30 years.
The Phils have shown that they can play and beat very good baseball teams. They just need to get to the World Series, and anything can happen.