PHILADELPHIA – Corbin Carroll silenced everyone in just the second pitch of the game. The Arizona Diamondbacks had followed this script before. Early offense. Silence a crowd after the season. Cruise from there.
His swing with the broken bat created a silence in the sold-out stadium, looking for any reason to break out.
However, this silence – rarely experienced at Citizens Bank Park – was short-lived. From that point on, it was a non-stop party in Philadelphia.
The Philadelphia Phillies beat Arizona starter Zac Gallen on his first pitch of the game. From there, they cruised to a 5-3 victory in the City of Brotherly Love behind an elite performance from starter Zack Wheeler, who consistently dominated on nearly every postseason opportunity.
The D-Backs were undefeated on the road. Philadelphia hadn’t lost at home. Something had to give. And it did.
Kyle Schwarber slammed a 92 mph fastball right down the middle for a sure-fire home run that he admired. Bryce Harper got a 93 mph heater up the middle. Both home runs traveled exactly 420 feet. Five pitches and 840 feet later, the Philly-area Arizona ace was shaken.
Both the Diamondbacks and Phillies feel like they are a team of destiny. Arizona is the Cinderella story of the playoffs: an 84-win club full of rookies introducing themselves to the world in October. Then there’s Philadelphia, who just defeated the best Braves in baseball with relative ease. The city gathers its team like no other.
Home runs have been the driving force of the Phillies to this day. Their home runs and even some subsequent stare-downs were the indelible images of that October. They had 13 in the first six games of the playoffs. Monday’s result was more of the same. After Schwarber and Harper went deep in the first inning, Nick Castellanos hit his fifth playoff blast in the front row down the right field line.
After allowing that leadoff single to Carroll, Wheeler retired the next 15 batters in a row. The streak lasted so long that the crowd gave him slight recognition when he finally delivered a single to Evan Longoria to start the sixth.
Geraldo Perdomo’s home run immediately after gave Arizona a momentary boost and put a damper on Wheeler’s otherwise flawless score. He finished his six innings with eight strikeouts and zero walks.
The two runs in his last inning of work brought no momentum. The Phillies had built up a sufficient cushion. Even an error by Seranthony Dominguez in the following inning only resulted in one run. Despite some exciting moments, the Phillies’ lead was never really in danger.
In the end, the Diamondbacks put in a competitive performance. They didn’t look overwhelmed at the moment and were definitely calming down after a difficult few innings – all while staying away from their best leverage relievers. The Phillies delivered the first blow in this series, but nothing resembling a knockout in what Arizona hopes will be a competitive best-of-seven.
The Diamondbacks had big innings that dictated their run. They have had a monumental performance in every postseason game so far. Clayton Kershaw, Corbin Burnes and Lance Lynn witnessed this firsthand. That’s why they’re all sitting at home.
This inning didn’t happen in this one. There was a chance in the seventh when Arizona had the tying score at the plate with no outs. But they only got one thing across. The eighth and ninth were the last chances. But José Alvarado dashed all hopes in the eighth round. Then Craig Kimbrel finished things off.
The Phillies have been here before. Last year they were the surprise story of the playoffs. I’ve been traveling for weeks to secure a playoff spot and a Wild Card win. This team made it to the World Series. What this team has done has ensured that what this team does is no longer a surprise. Maybe even an expectation.
The tensest moment of the night came in the ninth. Arizona had the winning run at the plate with one out. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. counted three balls. The tenor of the game depended on the next pitch. He came through sharply, leading to a 5-4-3 double play. And in Philly the party started again.
GO DEEPER
Kyle Schwarber and Phillies are off to a great start in the NLCS with a good plan of attack
GO DEEPER
The Phillies get to Zac Gallen early, spoiling the Diamondbacks’ perfect postseason
GO DEEPER
Zack Wheeler is in control: Phillies starter has dominated in the playoffs — while enjoying it all
(Photo: Eric Hartline / USA Today)