PHILADELPHIA -- The first real noise didn’t come until the ninth.
By then, the cold had already settled in — on the crowd, on the field, and most notably, on the bats of the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Phillies announced a first-pitch temperature of 45 degrees Saturday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park, the coldest start in Philadelphia in nearly seven years. It played like it, too — a game that felt frozen for long stretches.
For eight innings, the Phillies managed one hit and no runs, an offense stuck in neutral against an unexpected starter and uncooperative conditions.
Originally, the Texas Rangers were scheduled to send Jacob deGrom to the mound, but the right-hander was scratched with neck stiffness. Instead, left-hander Jacob Latz got the call — and turned in the kind of outing that flipped the game’s early script.
Latz entered the day with a rough spring line — 18 hits, 16 runs, and 10 walks in 15 2/3 innings — but none of that followed him to South Philadelphia. He delivered more than four hitless innings against the Phillies, keeping them off balance and quieting any early momentum before it had a chance to build.
And then, suddenly, everything changed.
Down to their final out, the Phillies strung together a rally that flipped the tone of the game entirely — scoring three runs in the ninth to force extra innings before ultimately falling, 5–4, in 10 innings.
It was, in many ways, two different games stitched together.
The first was quiet, frustrating, and defined by missed chances that never fully materialized. The second was urgent, chaotic, and alive — the kind of baseball that makes even a cold afternoon feel electric.
The turning point came on a play that, hours later, still lingered.
With two outs in the ninth, Rangers first baseman Jake Burger drifted under a foul popup in swirling winds. It should have ended the game. Instead, it dropped.
A lifeline.
Moments later, former Ranger Adolis GarcÃa delivered his first hit as a Phillie, lining a double down the left-field line to score a run and move the tying runs into scoring position.
The ballpark, quiet all afternoon, woke up.
Then came Brandon Marsh, who delivered the defining at-bat of the day. Down 1–2, Marsh fought through a sequence of tough pitches before lining a single to right field, scoring two to tie the game.
All three runs were unearned. None of them happen if the popup is caught.
The comeback, though, came with an expiration date.
In the 10th, closer Jhoan Duran allowed two runs, including the decisive RBI single from Andrew McCutchen, who delivered with two strikes to push Texas back in front.
The Phillies had one more push left.
In the bottom half, Bryce Harper drove in a run with an RBI single, trimming the deficit to 5–4 and bringing the tying run within reach again. But Alec Bohm popped up to end it.
What lingered most, though, was everything that came before the ninth.
Because for eight innings, the Phillies couldn’t generate anything resembling sustained offense — even against a pitcher who had struggled all spring. The at-bats weren’t reckless, but they lacked impact. Balls in play found gloves. Opportunities never built. The lineup moved, but never advanced.
On the mound, Aaron Nola allowed three runs over five innings, including a solo home run to Corey Seager in the first inning and a two-run drive off the foul pole by Burger — a reminder of an issue that has followed him at times in his career.
“He was fine,” manager Rob Thomson said of Nola. “Two pitches really. The fastball to Seager right at the top of the zone where he just beat him to the spot. And he probably wants the curveball to Burger back. It was in the middle of the dish.”
In the end, this was a game that asked the Phillies to chase from the start — and rewarded them briefly when they finally responded.
But not for long enough.
The comeback made it compelling.
The first eight innings made it costly.
But not for long enough.
The comeback made it compelling.
The first eight innings made it costly.
Loading Phillies schedule...
Loading NL East standings...
Support the Mission. Fuel the Movement.
You’re not just funding journalism — you’re backing the future of youth baseball in Philly.
👉 Join us on Patreon »