Tampa Bay had tied the game in the top of the inning, but Clemens’ line drive to right field brought the crowd of 39,511 to its feet, sealing the win.
Kyle Schwarber launched his 41st home run of the season to get the Phillies on the board in the sixth inning, while Cristopher Sánchez turned in six shutout innings, helping the NL East leaders secure their 48th home win—tied with the Dodgers for the most in the majors.
Brandon Lowe provided the drama for Tampa Bay, hitting a game-tying solo shot in the ninth off Carlos Estévez, who blew his fifth save of the season and his second in six chances since arriving at the trade deadline. Johan Rojas initially appeared to make a leaping catch at the wall, but the ball popped out of his glove as he leaped and banged into the fence, dribbling into the brush beyond the wall, setting up the Phillies' tense finish.
In the bottom of the ninth, Garrett Cleavinger (3-5) was called in after Manuel RodrÃguez recorded the first out. He promptly loaded the bases on two singles and a walk before Clemens roped a 95-mph sinker into right field, capping a thrilling victory.
Schwarber’s sixth-inning blast, a 447-foot shot, was his sixth homer in seven games. Before that, the Phillies were hitless against Tampa Bay's pitching duo. Tyler Alexander retired the first 13 batters after Cole Sulser opened with a scoreless inning.
Sánchez continued his strong stretch, allowing just four hits while striking out four. The bullpen held firm with Orion Kerkering tossing a perfect seventh and Jeff Hoffman navigating through trouble in the eighth by striking out Junior Caminero with runners on the corners.
Injury-wise, J.T. Realmuto (left knee contusion) missed his third consecutive game. Manager Rob Thomson is optimistic Realmuto will return for this weekend’s series against the Mets.
The Phillies will send Ranger Suárez (12-6, 2.90 ERA) to the mound on Tuesday night, while Taj Bradley (6-10, 4.40 ERA) gets the start for Tampa Bay as they try to close the gap in the AL Wild Card race.
