1 of 5 | Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh celebrates after hitting an RBI double against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 6 of the NLCS on Monday at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Photo by Laurence Kesterson/UPI | License Photo
Philadelphia Phillies players say they are embracing the drama that comes with a Game 7 ahead of their National League Championship Series finale with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday in Philadelphia.
The Diamondbacks staved off elimination with a 5-1 win over the Phillies in Game 6 on Monday in Philadelphia, tying the best-of-seven game series 3-3. The winner of Tuesday’s game will advance to face the Texas Rangers on MLB’s grandest stage. Advertisement
“We’re embracing it,” Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber told reporters. “We’re in this spot. We deserve to be in this spot. We have a chance to play our best game [Tuesday] and move on to the World Series.
“There’s no undermining anything. That’s a good team across the way. They have the same opportunity as us. But it’s going to be fun to put everyone’s best efforts and best everything that we’ve got.”
The Diamondbacks piled on four runs against Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola early in Game 6 and never looked back. Designated hitter Tommy Pham and left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit back-to-back solo homers to lead off the second, sparking the surge. Advertisement
Veteran third baseman Evan Longoria hit an RBI double in the same inning for a 3-0 edge. Phillies left fielder Brandon Marsh hit an RBI single in the bottom of the inning, but the Diamondbacks did not allow another run over the final seven innings.
Second baseman Ketel Marte hit an RBI triple in the fifth and an RBI double in the seventh for the final two runs of the night.
Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly allowed three hits and one run over five innings to improve to 2-1 this postseason. Relief pitchers Ryan Thompson, Andrew Sealfrank, Kevin Ginkel and Paul Sewald allowed three hits and no runs over the final four innings of the Game 6 triumph.
“Those early runs let us exhale a little bit,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “It was an elimination game for us. We know what’s at stake. We knew what we had to do, and we were in the middle of doing it. We just started to relax a little bit, and we just continued to capitalize throughout the course of the day.”
The Phillies will host the Diamondbacks in Game 7 at 8:07 p.m. EDT Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park. The game will air on TBS. Game 1 of the World Series will be Friday in Arlington, Texas. Advertisement
“I’m just glad we are at home and playing in front of our home crowd,” Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper said. “Only one game matters right now.”
