A win, or a little help from New York, and the Phillies would be popping corks on another division title. Instead, what they got was a 10–3 pratfall against the Royals, a clunker from Aaron Nola, and a reminder that in baseball, the party doesn’t always start on cue.
For three innings, Nola looked like the guy who had been on the mound for nearly every clinch game of this era. Nine up, nine down. Kyle Schwarber had already deposited his 52nd homer into the seats, J.T. Realmuto had smoked another liner into the corner, and the ballpark was humming like it was ready to explode.
Then the Royals reminded everyone that September scripts don’t always cooperate.
Jac Caglianone tied it with a two-run blast. Salvador Perez, who’s been tormenting pitchers for more than a decade, stole the whole afternoon with a three-run missile in the sixth and a two-run single in the seventh. By the time the damage was done, Nola’s ERA had spiked to 6.44 and the sellout crowd was headed for the exits.
For three innings, Nola looked like the guy who had been on the mound for nearly every clinch game of this era. Nine up, nine down. Kyle Schwarber had already deposited his 52nd homer into the seats, J.T. Realmuto had smoked another liner into the corner, and the ballpark was humming like it was ready to explode.
Then the Royals reminded everyone that September scripts don’t always cooperate.
Jac Caglianone tied it with a two-run blast. Salvador Perez, who’s been tormenting pitchers for more than a decade, stole the whole afternoon with a three-run missile in the sixth and a two-run single in the seventh. By the time the damage was done, Nola’s ERA had spiked to 6.44 and the sellout crowd was headed for the exits.
Nola had been on the hill for five clinchers for the Phillies in the past. Sunday would have been his sixth.
“I’ve been blessed in those situations, of course, and another one today,” Nola said. “But it’s baseball. I just tried to try to go out and put the guys in a good chance to win, and I did that for the most part, until that first home run and then the sixth inning.”
“I’ve been blessed in those situations, of course, and another one today,” Nola said. “But it’s baseball. I just tried to try to go out and put the guys in a good chance to win, and I did that for the most part, until that first home run and then the sixth inning.”
Bryson Stott tried to punch some life back into the building with a solo shot, but the bullpen got tattooed too, and what should’ve been a champagne-soaked coronation turned into the longest wait in baseball: sitting around for the Mets game. The Phillies watched on clubhouse TVs, the fans watched on the scoreboard in left, and everyone held their breath. Then Pete Alonso ended the suspense with a 10th-inning homer that postponed the party again.
So the goggles never came out of their boxes.
The carpet never got wet.
The champagne stayed on ice. And now, this clinch — inevitable as it may be with a 12-game lead and a magic number of one — will happen away from the home crowd that showed up Sunday afternoon ready to dance.
“Of course, we always want to do any type of big game, clinching game in front of our fanbase,” Nola said. “Makes it that much more fun. But that didn’t happen today, and that’s baseball. We’ll go try to do it in LA.”
It still counts. The Phillies have locked in their fourth straight postseason berth, something this city hasn’t seen since the golden run from 2007 to 2011. They’ve turned a six-game winning streak into another October. But the chance to pop bottles in South Philly will have to wait, because sometimes the baseball gods don’t care how many cases of champagne you’ve already stacked in the trainer’s room.
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