PHILADELPHIA — Don’t try to make sense of what happened Friday night at Citizens Bank Park. Sometimes, even in a sport that seeks to find a metric for everything, there aren’t explanations.
Instead, cue up the video of Héctor Neris snapping his glove at a two-out grounder back to the mound and running — nay, scampering — to first base to stomp on the bag to end a 1 2/3 inning stretch across the seventh and eighth in which he threw 41 pitches, his highest total since 2015.
The Phillies won, 8-6, over the Pittsburgh Pirates in a game that had to be seen to be believed. Coupled with the Atlanta Braves’ loss in the resumption of a suspended game in San Diego, they moved to within one game of first place in the National League East with eight remaining, including three next week in Atlanta.
But before you process all of that, sit back and replay the events of the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings:
— Trailing 4-1 in the fourth inning, the Phillies chipped away and eventually took the lead in the sixth on another clutch hit from Ronald Torreyes, a career utilityman who is batting .247 but is 7 for 14 with six RBIs as a pinch-hitter.
— Nine outs from a victory, the Phillies’ exhausted bullpen tied a single-season major league record by blowing its 34th save when Cam Bedrosian gave up a two-run pinch-hit homer to Wilfer Difo, the Pirates’ version of Torreyes.
— With two outs in the seventh, Didi Gregorius — hitting .148/.260/.259 against lefties this season, bashed a three-run homer against Pirates lefty Chasen Shreve.
— Neris inherited a two-run lead in the eighth inning and loaded the bases on 39 pitches. Manager Joe Girardi went to the mound — the Phillies used all five of their mound visits — but left Neris in the game. Two pitches later, Neris made his dash to first base to emphatically hold the lead.
If it was a movie, this would’ve been Rocky, hitting the canvas and getting up over and over. Or maybe it would’ve been Bryce Harper, dressed as Maximus, going to the center of the field, holding his bat aloft, and shouting, “Are you not entertained?”
At this point, how can you not be?
Pinch him
Years from now, Phillies fans will look at Torreyes’ numbers — .247 average, .647 on-base-plus-slugging — and wonder what the fuss was about.
But the legend is built by the timing of the hits.
One night after capping a comeback from six runs down with a pinch-hit three-run homer, Torreyes came off the bench and came through again with a go-ahead double. He is 25 for 78 (.321) with 33 RBIs with runners in scoring position.
Gibson pulls a Blanton
Gibson’s numbers since being acquired at the trade deadline: 4.87 ERA in 64 2/3 innings over 11 games (10 starts).
Joe Blanton’s numbers after being acquired in July 2008: 4.20 ERA in 70 2/3 innings over 13 starts.
The similarities now extend to their hitting, too.
Gibson slugged his first career home run to open a 1-0 lead in the third inning, bringing back memories of Blanton’s big swing in Game 4 of the 2008 World Series. It marked the first homer by a Phillies pitcher since Vince Velasquez on June 28, 2019.
But the lead was short-lived. Gibson loaded the bases in the fourth inning on a single, a walk, and a hit by pitch before allowing a two-run double to Kevin Newman and Michael Perez’s two-run single.
Herrera hurting
Center fielder Odúbel Herrera left before the top of the fifth inning because of what the team described as “soreness” in his left ankle. The injury has dogged him since before the All-Star break, forcing him to miss nine games in July.
Upstart rookie Matt Vierling took over for Herrera and promptly doubled and scored in the fifth inning. Recalled from Triple-A last month, Vierling has contributed as a right-handed bat and a versatile defender in the outfield and at first base.
Fathers and sons
One batter after Phillies reliever Cam Bedrosian allowed the go-ahead homer to Difo, he gave up a single to Ke’Bryan Hayes.
In other words, former Phillies closer Steve Bedrosian’s son gave up a hit to former Phillies third baseman Charlie Hayes’ son 32 years after the fathers were traded for each other.
