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PHILADELPHIA – Kyle Gibson couldn’t have done much more to endear himself to the Citizens Bank Park crowd than he did on Friday night.
He helped the Phillies take the top spot.
Making his home debut and his second overall start since acquiring on last week’s trade deadline, Gibson pitched his new club ahead of the division-leading Mets, with the 4-2 win toppling the top-ranking standings. National League East and extending the Phils’ winning streak to six games.
“I think I can get used to all of these big moments and big spots that are really meaningful and a lot at stake,” Gibson said. “It’s so much fun.”
Gibson limited the Mets to one run in six innings, also delivering a hit with his fifth-inning RBI single against Marcus Stroman. It was the first RBI of Gibson’s career, although he tried to temper his excitement after arriving safe and sound at first base.
“I think I can act like I’m playing it cool,” Gibson said. “But inside, I’m a little kid.”
“He came in 2-0, I was like, ‘He has to take it here’,” said Bryce Harper, “So, bam, base knock; me and JT [Realmuto] looked at each other like, ‘Alright, well, let’s go.’ “
Gibson’s exhilaration in previous innings couldn’t hide, as he escaped some big points with the game tied 1-1. First, he came out of a basics-laden, no-takedown jam in the fourth, inducing a Brandon Nimmo double play that ended the threat and resulted in a Gibson-animated fist pump.
“When he pitches, it’s an art; it’s not just about ‘Throwing as hard as I can go as long as I can, “said Phillies manager Joe Girardi. “He had a ton of balls on the ground for us tonight, and that’s what he’s capable of doing.”
A set later, the right-hander rounded a starting brace from Jeff McNeil, removing Javier Báez on strikes to score another zero as the crowd of 30,106 created a playoff atmosphere.
“Overall I’m a pretty balanced guy, but that kind of emotional overflow happens in some of these great situations,” Gibson said. “I don’t know if I could really imagine what that atmosphere would look like. It met or exceeded my every expectation and enthusiasm I had coming here.
Gibson put the bullpen ahead 2-1 after six innings, then held his breath when Alec Bohm’s second mistake of the night tied the point at baseline with two strikeouts against Héctor Neris in seventh.
But Pete Alonso hit a slow roll at second base, where Jean Segura made a spectacular play to end the inning, forcing Neris and Segura to emulate Gibson’s previous punch-pump routine.
“I love it,” Girardi said. “Emotion is important in this game because you don’t show people. I didn’t feel our guys were doing all of this.
With nervous energy circulating throughout the stadium, Harper – who has received a number of “MVPs!” chants during his strikes – allowed the crowd to exhale and explode, continuing their recent offensive assault with a monster two-point explosion against Edwin Díaz in the eighth.
“Big spot, big time,” Harper said. “I ended up being a fat homer before the ninth too.”
“It just gives you a bit of a break,” Girardi said. “In today’s game, one to nine can hit the ball out of the stadium. There’s a mistake in the game, so it’s a huge moment.
It turned out to be crucial after Ian Kennedy, who was part of the same deal that sent Gibson to Philly from Texas, gave up a solo homerun to Jonathan Villar before closing the game for his first stop with the Phillies.
The Mets were in first place every day since May 9, but that is no longer the case. There are still almost two months to go in the regular season, but when the Phillies wake up on Saturday, they’ll be watching the rest of the NL East for the first time in three months.
“It’s better than the alternative,” Girardi said. “It’s just a great atmosphere tonight. We want to continue to build on this, but it’s a big win for us. “
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