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In what could have been the biggest game for the Phillies in a decade, they hung on to beat the Mets in a tense 4-2 victory and took the lead in the NL East.
The Phils have a half-game lead over the Mets and sit in first place for the first time since the game began on May 8.
The Mets had led the division for 90 straight days (their longest streak in 14 years) and 106 of 128 days of the season so far.
Bryce Harper provided much needed insurance and the exclamation point of the night with a two-run ninth inning home run against Edwin Diaz. The Phillies had held on to a one-run lead over the previous three innings.
“That’s what you work so hard for,” manager Joe Girardi said. “You do all your work in the winter and spring, you go through the first 100 games, not much has gone well for us, and then you come home and you’re half a game away from first place. There’s been a lot of emotion. We’ve had a lot of early wins lately, which kind of fueled that emotion. Emotion is important in this game. “
Kyle Gibson made his second start with the Phils and it was a great start. In front of 30,106 fans and pitching at home as a Phillie for the first time, Gibson allowed a run in six innings and walked out of jams all night. The Mets had a baserunner every inning against him, but went 1-for-15 with men on base.
He was excited coming out of the mound after each of his last three innings. Between the tight score, the stakes, the larger crowd than usual and the emotion shown by the players, there was a certain feeling of play-off.
“Man, that was so much fun,” he said after the game. “Overall I’m a pretty balanced guy, but that overflow of emotions happens a bit in big situations.
“I can get used to all of these big moments and big spots being meaningful and a lot at stake. These fans are awesome. They hang on to every pitch, they get the big moments and what we’re trying to do there. -low.”
Gibson also helped himself with a single RBI in the fifth inning. It marked the first career RBI for Gibson, who spent his first nine seasons in the American League before the Phillies acquired him at the trade deadline.
Gibson showed veteran sense as he escaped a goal-laden, no-strikeout jam in the fourth inning with the game tied. He struck pitcher Marcus Stroman out on strikes and got a Brandon Nimmo first pitch double to escape.
The next round, Jeff McNeil scored a starting brace but was left there when Gibson retired three times in a row.
Gibson also overcame poor defense behind him. The Mets’ threat in the fourth inning was caused by a bullet that went under Brad Miller’s glove on first base. The Phils cornerbacks made two mistakes in the first four innings, plus a slightly difficult ball to the left of Alec Bohm that he probably should have had. Bohm made another mistake in the seventh inning, hitting a pitch with two outs and no one on. He has 14 mistakes, the most among any major league third baseman. He was replaced by Ronald Torreyes on the field the next round.
Hector Neris, Archie Bradley and Ian Kennedy finished the game. Neris and Bradley each pitched a scoreless inning. Kennedy has given up on a solo homerun, the third homerun he has allowed in four games with the Phillies. He’s been faltering so far, but he had enough leeway because of the Harper home run.
“You live for these moments and you work for these moments so that you can play for your team, your city, your organization,” Harper said. “It’s so much fun playing games that matter, games that make you emotional and super intense.”
Harper received chants from MVP all night long. He’s certainly taking a step towards the prize with his recent slugging helping the Phillies wins.
“Anytime you have a fan base that does that, not just the vocals but the way they introduce themselves and themselves, they make us better,” Harper said. “They make us want to be great. That’s why I came here. That’s why I wanted to be a Phillie, because of that fan base. It turns us all on, the way they’re in it every time. sleeve. I can’t say it enough. It excites me to walk up the stairs and see it with my own eyes. “
Didi Gregorius drove in the first run with a solo explosion towards the second bridge in right field. He rocked it better this week. He opened the week with a three hits, three RBIs game in Pittsburgh and scored twice in three nights with another near miss in DC. his first two at bat.
Gregorius was also hit in the elbow by a throw, which is worth watching. It’s the same elbow that has caused him to miss a lot of time this season. He was relieved in the eighth inning for Luke Williams and Girardi said after the game he probably wouldn’t play on Saturday.
Gregorius is even more important right now than usual with the Phillies missing two midrange series producers Rhys Hoskins (sore groin) and Andrew McCutchen (sore knee).
It was the Phillies’ sixth straight win, their longest winning streak since June 2018. The Mets have lost seven of their nine wins. The Braves, who trail the Phillies by one game, are also entrenched in this race.
At 57-53, the Phillies are the furthest they have been above .500 since opening the season 5-1.
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