Andrew Knapp lifts Phillies to win
Andrew Knapp turned to the third-base line and pumped his fist while letting out a roar. It was a scene that has the potential to be a turning point for a Phillies team in desperate need of a turnaround.

“Everything happened so fast,” Knapp said. “We really needed this win, and it was such a great play that my emotions got the best of me.”

Knapp tagged Dansby Swanson on a play at the plate to record the final out as the Phillies held on for a 5-4 victory over the Braves on Sunday night at Truist Park in Atlanta.

The win snapped a five-game losing skid for the Phils.

“It’s one of these wins that at the end of the season you look at and go, 'Man, that really turned our season around,'” Knapp said.

With runners on first and second base with two outs in the ninth, newly acquired reliever Brandon Workman surrendered a Freddie Freeman double to the left-center gap. The runner on second scored, but Roman Quinn cut the ball off and made a strong throw to shortstop Didi Gregorius who, in turn, threw to Knapp at the plate to stop Swanson from evening the contest.

The throw home pulled Knapp across the plate, forcing Swanson to attempt a difficult head-first slide to avoid the tag. Braves manager Brian Snitker appealed the call, but replay upheld the original decision.

“The ball took him into the runner, which he’s allowed to do,” Phillies manager Joe Girardi said.

“I felt like once we saw the replay, it was pretty obvious it was going to go our way,” added Knapp. “I set up before the throw, giving him a lane, and then the throw just took me in that line.”

Alec Bohm hit his first big league homer in the win, a solo shot in the second inning that landed in the fountain in center field.

“It was really cool,” Bohm said.

The Phillies have an off-day on Monday before opening a series in Washington with the Nationals on Tuesday.
__________________________________
Follow Patrick on Twitter: @PGordonPBR

BY PATRICK GORDON
Managing Editor
pgordon@philadelphiabaseballreview.com

Post a Comment

Previous Post Next Post