FanSided

4 Phillies heroes from thrilling NLCS Game 5 win over Diamondbacks

Facing the possibility of a series deficit for the first time this postseason, the Phillies turned their momentum around in Game 5 behind multiple standout performances.

By Tiffany Brennan |
Philadelphia Phillies v Arizona Diamondbacks - NLCS Game 5
Philadelphia Phillies v Arizona Diamondbacks - NLCS Game 5 / Harry How/GettyImages
1 of 3
Next

After two rough outings, the Philadelphia Phillies are back on top in the National League Championship Series after beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-1 in Game 5 on Saturday night. 

In a reversal of Game 4, the Phillies put together a complete game, using offense, stellar pitching and award-worthy defense to send the series back to Philadelphia on a high note. The fans were even treated to some postseason-history-making plays by the veterans on the team.

Behind three two-run innings and another dominant pitching performance — including two shutout innings from the bullpen — let's take a look at four players who showed up to make pivotal plays in Game 5 to give the Phillies two opportunities to clinch another trip to a World Series in front of their home crowd.

Bryce Harper steals home, makes Phillies postseason history

During Saturday's game, first baseman Bryce Harper flashed his glove in the field, making some nice defensive plays, while also going 2-for-4 at the plate, with a 444-foot solo home run in the top of the sixth on a 3-2 count with one out. That home run came after Kyle Schwarber made history of his own with his fifth home run of the series, 11th overall in this round of the postseason in his career. 

But it was Harper's play in the first inning that hyped up fans and helped his team establish momentum for a game that felt like a must-win. With one run already on the board courtesy of an RBI single from second baseman Bryson Stott, the Phillies decided they'd steal another.

There's no doubt that Harper is aggressive on the bases on a normal day, and on Saturday, he was called upon to execute a double steal alongside Stott. And he didn't fail, getting into a collision with catcher Gabriel Moreno before touching home plate:

As Sarah Langs of MLB.com noted, it was the first time a Phillies player has stolen home in postseason history and 22nd overall across the league. 

In the postgame press conference, manager Rob Thomson kept it simple when asked about Harper, saying, "He's as good as they get."

Following two deflating games that were lost in the late stages of Games 3 and 4, it was important for the Phillies to not let the Diamondbacks keep momentum heading into this game. 

As catcher J.T. Realmuto noted, according to Tyler Kepner of The Athletic: "After what they did to us the last two games, they had all the momentum in the world. So we had to try to do something early in the game to get it back. That was a great call by Rob putting that on."

A 1-0 lead is nice, but a 2-0 lead is nicer. By executing the play to perfection and getting the second run across in the first inning, Harper also helped to take some more pressure off a pitching staff that had been tested and pushed to its limit the past couple of days. 

Bryson Stott makes Gold Glove-worthy save

Second baseman Bryson Stott has had some struggles at the plate during this postseason, hitting .237 overall with 13 strikeouts, but on Saturday he went 2-for-4 with an RBI. He knocked in the first run of the game in the top of the first inning, then played the double steal perfectly, drawing the throw to second that ultimately allowed Harper to score another run. 

It was his glove on the defensive side of the ball that garnered the most attention Saturday, though, as he provided a gem of a play at a crucial moment of the ballgame. 

In the bottom of the seventh inning, with ace Zack Wheeler still on the mound, trying to get through the end of the frame, the second baseman made a diving play on a ball hit by shortstop Geraldo Perdomo.

One teammate who didn't waste any time giving the Gold Glove finalist the credit he was due after the game was Harper:

At that point in the game, there was only one out after Alek Thomas hit a homer off Wheeler to start the inning. If Perdomo would've gotten on — and with bullpen action already happening in case of a jam — there's a chance Thomson wouldn't have let Wheeler finish the frame. As it stood, Wheeler reached 99 pitches after he recorded the final out of the inning. 

Instead, thanks to Stott, there were two outs, no one on, and Wheeler only needed three more pitches to retire right fielder Corbin Carroll. 

J.T. Realmuto adds insurance runs late

One of the big storylines coming into the day was the bullpen's performance in Games 3 and 4. Across both outings, the bullpen had given up seven walks in 8 2/3 innings, compared to three walks in six innings in Games 1 and 2.  

On Thursday, the Diamondbacks clinched the 2-1 win with a walk-off hit, and on Friday, they used a three-run eighth inning to come from behind and take the 6-5 win. Closer Craig Kimbrel earned the loss in both games, only recording three outs while surrendering four earned runs on five hits and two walks. 

Heading into Saturday’s pivotal Game 5, the team wasn’t sure who would be available to come out of the bullpen. Jeff Hoffman, Orion Kerkering, José Alvarado and Craig Kimbrel pitched in both games, with Kimbrel (two walks and five hits) and Kerkering (two walks and three hits) struggling with command against Arizona both days.

On Saturday, the team rode Wheeler through seven strong innings. When the right-hander came out for the seventh inning, the Phillies had Alvarado warming up in case he got into trouble. After going two scoreless innings Thursday, the left-handed reliever was brought into Friday’s game to record the final out of the eighth, tossing six pitches in the process. Still, the Phillies were trying to avoid bringing him into a third consecutive ballgame. 

Wheeler escaped the inning on seven pitches, and in the top half of the eighth, J.T. Realmuto's clutch gene entered the chat. 

Harper got to first on a fielding error by second baseman Ketel Marte, and a few batters later, Realmuto stepped to the plate with two outs and one on. On the third pitch, he drilled the ball over the wall in left field, extending the lead to 6-1. 

As John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia noted, the long ball also ended a streak of 15 straight solo home runs for the ballclub. With the expanded lead and extra breathing room, the Phillies let Alvarado sit back down in the bullpen, giving the powerful lefty an extra day of rest as they head into Game 6 on Monday. 

Zack Wheeler gives the team exactly what it needs … again

This list wouldn't be complete without Zack Wheeler. With a depleted bullpen that was coming off of almost nine innings of work over the previous two days, the Phillies looked to their ace to take them deep into the game. 

The Phillies offense wasted no time giving Wheeler a 2-0 lead. And while the 33-year-old tossed a shutdown inning in the bottom half of the frame, he needed 22 pitches to do so, causing some concern that he might be unable to make it deep into the game. The worry was for nothing, though. 

After that, he settled in, getting through the second inning on 11 pitches to get back on track with his pitch count. 

The man calling the game from behind the plate, Realmuto, also pointed out that Wheeler's approach was to attack the strike zone early, which the team had struggled with the previous game. Of the 28 batters Wheeler faced, 21 of them saw first-pitch strikes. Overall, of his 99 pitches, 69 were strikes.

He was lights-out throughout the outing, striking out eight and only giving up one run on six hits and one walk. 

He was able to work his way out of a jam in the bottom of the first inning, stranding two runners on base, including one at third. Then in the sixth inning, he again pitched out of some trouble, after first baseman Christan Walker was left standing on third base as he struck out Pavin Smith and got left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to fly out to end the inning. The only run he surrendered was a solo shot by Thomas in the seventh.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Harper had some high praise for the starting pitcher: "I've played with a lot of good [pitchers], and he's easily top-three. … It's so much fun to watch. I love playing behind him."

Schwarber added: "He's just such a dependable guy that you can rely on, and know that when he's gonna take the ball, that you got a really good chance of winning the baseball game. All we gotta do is go out there and get him some runs."

Sarah Langs of MLB.com pointed out that, through his first 10 postseason starts, Wheeler has the best WHIP (0.73) in any 10-game stretch of starts in postseason history. And that's on top of his career 2.48 ERA in the postseason. 

Just how dominant has Wheeler been in his postseason career? Well, as Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia noted, batters are only hitting .164 against him in those 10 games:

In his four postseason starts in 2023, he is 3-0 with a 2.08 ERA, 34 strikeouts and two walks in 26 innings. That excellence was on full display during his second start against the Diamondbacks this series.

When the bullpen was spread thin, and the Phillies were searching for some much-needed momentum after two straight losses, their ace stepped up to the plate and delivered the performance of a lifetime in Game 5. 

Next
Home / Phillies News