DENVER — On any other night, Bryce Harper’s ejection just 13 pitches into the ballgame would be the obvious headliner. Perhaps it still is. But it doesn’t tell half the story of the madness that took place at Coors Field on Friday.
In his first game at Coors Field since being ejected as a result of a benches-clearing brawl that centered around himself and Jake Bird a year ago, Harper didn’t last an inning before being tossed this time, with home plate umpire Brian Walsh ending his night after Harper disputed a called strike in the first.
And on a night when the Phillies certainly could’ve used Harper’s bat, their inability to tack on insurance runs ultimately cost them. José Alvarado surrendered a game-tying homer to pinch-hitter Jacob Stallings with the Rockies down to their final out, and the Phillies, failing to score the zombie runner in two consecutive extra innings, lost in 11 on an Ezequiel Tovar walk-off single with the bases loaded.
“That’s baseball,” Thomson said postgame. “You gotta turn the page and move on to tomorrow.”
Even the latter stages of the game came with some contention. With the bases loaded, two outs and a 2-1 count in the 10th, J.T. Realmuto appeared to hold up on a check swing. But a late appeal and corresponding swing call set Realmuto, the dugout and several thousand Phillies fans off, before Realmuto grounded out on the 2-2 pitch.
“It was a little bit late,” Thomson said postgame of the appeal, “but it didn’t bother me as much as I didn’t think he swung. And that changed his entire at bat. But again. It’s baseball. You’ve got to play better to overcome situations like umpires and bad hops and whatever. So we’ve gotta play better.”
The Phillies lived to see another inning because of what can only be described as downright chaos. With runners on first and second and one down in the 10th, José Ruiz rolled a double play ball, which Kody Clemens ultimately threw wide of Alec Bohm at first base. But the ball caromed right back to Bohm, forcing Brendan Rodgers to hold up at third base. The next batter flew out to the warning track.
It was ultimately all for naught. In less controversial fashion, the Phillies went down quietly in the 11th, before Tovar decided enough lunacy was enough.
The back-breaking homer by Stallings, and the ensuing walk-off, nullified an otherwise tremendous night for the Phillies’ pitching staff. Cristopher Sánchez gave them 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball before Orion Kerkering took down five outs and Jeff Hoffman fired a perfect eighth. Ruiz, who has been excellent for the Phillies this month, stranded the zombie runner — despite the aforementioned throwing mishap. Gregory Soto couldn’t follow suit, earning the loss.
“I thought we pitched well,” Thomson said. “I thought Sánchez was really good … Kerkering did a heck of a job. Hoffman threw the ball well. Alvarado, one bad pitch. Ruiz was really good. Soto threw the ball well too. It’s just a tough situation.”
For a time, it looked like the Phillies might escape with a rare victory: one at Coors Field when the offense provides only two runs. Nick Castellanos and Edmundo Sosa hit a pair of solo homers in the fifth that seemed to be just enough for the Phillies’ staff.
“Anytime I’ve got Alvarado on the mound,” Thomson said, “I feel good about it.”
But things evened themselves out in the ninth.
The Phillies’ NL East lead remains at six games; they’re 37-15.
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