Despite a tense ninth inning and a late rally from a feisty Phillies club, the Dodgers held their nerve and triumphed 4-3 to take a commanding 2-0 lead over Philadelphia in the National League Division Series on Monday night. One of the biggest moments from the ninth, aside from first baseman Freddie Freeman's impressive scoop for the last out, was how Los Angeles handled the Phillies' sacrifice bunt attempt with Philadelphia outfielder Nick Castellanos on second base and no one out.
Thanks to a brain wave from Mookie Betts during a meeting at the mound for a pitching change, the Dodgers opted to utilize a wheel play, in which the third baseman charges home plate while the shortstop makes a beeline for third base, to counter Philadelphia's anticipated sacrifice bunt attempt.
"Immediately, Mookie was like, 'Hey, we need to be doing this,'" Muncy said. "It speaks to his baseball IQ and his intuition in that situation. We were all thinking it, but Mookie was definitely the one that brought it up and said we need to do this."
So, the Dodgers, as first baseman Freddie Freeman explained, made a plan.
"If we run the wheel play, that means there was going to be no one at second base," Freeman explained. "So that's when I chimed in. I said, 'If he bunts to third base, Max, you throw to Mookie, Tommy's going to first, I'll sprint to second base if it's not coming to me.' That's why you saw me running to second base."
Sure enough, Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott laid down a bunt up the third base line, where a hard-charging Muncy fielded, turned and fired a strike to Betts at third base for the out. The play worked to perfection.
A perfectly executed wheel play. 🤌 pic.twitter.com/aVRONlLEtP
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 7, 2025
Of course, the Phillies' decision to sacrifice bunt in the first place was not without controversy. Manager Rob Thomson explained the thought process behind the decision, and credited Betts for disguising the wheel play to the last minute, not allowing Stott to change course and swing.
"Left on left, we’re trying to tie the score," Thomson said. "I liked where our bullpen was at, compared to theirs.
"Mookie did a great job of disguising the wheel play," Thomson added. "We teach our guys if you see wheel, just pull back and slash because you're getting all kinds of room in the middle. Mookie broke so late that it was tough for [Stott] to pick it up."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Dodgers Used Play They Barely Practiced to Stymie Phillies in Huge Moment .
