The Philadelphia Phillies pulled off a bizarre victory against the Boston Red Sox Monday night at Citizens Bank Park, winning 3-2 in the 10th inning on a walk-off catcher's interference. It was a truly unusual ending to a game where the Phillies offense struggled to find its rhythm.
Edmundo Sosa, who came in as a pinch-hitter, was the runner who benefited from the strange play. With the count at 1-2, Sosa reached for a slider from Red Sox reliever Jordan Hicks and made contact with catcher Carlos Nervaez's glove, forcing in the winning run.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson, a veteran of 40 years in baseball, admitted he had never seen anything quite like it. "There's two things this year that I've never seen before in 40 years and one is a walk-off inside-the-park home run and one is a walk off catcher's interference," Thomson said.
The game had its share of unusual moments. Zack Wheeler, who typically dominates at Citizens Bank Park, gave up a leadoff home run to Jarren Duran. Despite not having his best stuff, Wheeler battled throughout the night. The Phillies took a 2-1 lead in the fourth when Bryce Harper doubled and scored on a Nick Castellanos single. Castellanos then advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on a single by J.T. Realmuto.
The Red Sox tied the game in the sixth with three consecutive hits off Wheeler, before he managed to strike out the final two batters. The Phillies offense then went quiet until the dramatic 10th inning.
Key Plays from the Game
- Jarren Duran's leadoff home run for the Red Sox.
- Bryce Harper's double and subsequent score.
- Nick Castellanos' RBI single.
- J.T. Realmuto's RBI single.
- Edmundo Sosa's walk-off catcher's interference.
What's Next for the Phillies?
The Phillies will look to build on this odd victory as they continue their series against the Red Sox. They'll need their offense to find more consistency if they want to secure a more comfortable win.