The Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-1 in Saturday night's Game 5 of the National League Series. The Phillies now possess a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series, meaning they're a win away from repeating as NL champions and advancing to the World Series. The two sides will have Sunday off as they return to Philadelphia in advance of Monday's Game 6.
The Phillies benefitted from big nights by Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber, each of whom launched solo home runs, and J.T. Realmuto, who added his own two-run blast. Right-hander Zack Wheeler also recorded a quality start, outdueling Diamondbacks ace Zac Gallen in the process.
Here are five other things to know about the Phillies' Game 5 victory.
Phillies star Bryce Harper showed up in a big way in Game 5. He began his evening by reaching in the first inning with a hard-hit single. He then scored on what amounted to a Little League-style double steal, swiping home after Bryson Stott drew a throw while dancing between first and second base.
In the sixth inning, Harper launched a solo home run to put up the Phillies by a 4-1 margin. He became the second player to ever homer and steal home in the same postseason game. The first was Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena during Tampa Bay's 2021 ALDS against the Boston Red Sox.
Harper entered Game 5 batting .250/.471/.500 with a home run and five walks in his first 17 trips to the plate this series. Overall this October, he's hit .323/.512/.710 with four home runs and seven RBI in 10 games.
Phillies DH Kyle Schwarber launched his fifth home run of the NLCS in Game 5 during the sixth inning to put the Phillies ahead by a 3-0 margin. Coincidentally, it was Schwarber's fifth solo home run of the series.
Schwarber is the second Phillies player to ever deliver five home runs in a postseason series. (Chase Utley did it as part of the 2009 World Series against the New York Yankees.) Additionally, Schwarber is now the NLCS's career home-run leader, as well as just the fifth player to ever homer 20 or more times during their playoff careers, joining Manny Ramirez, Jose Altuve, Bernie Williams, and Derek Jeter.
Schwarber was in good company on Saturday night in other ways, too, as the Phillies' collection of offensive stars -- namely himself, Harper, and J.T. Realmuto -- all delivered in their own ways.
Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler prevailed over D-backs righty Zac Gallen in a battle of aces (and the Zacks). Wheeler lasted seven innings, surrendering one run on six hits (including an Alek Thomas solo home run) and a walk. He struck out eight of the 28 batters he faced, and generated a game-high 18 swinging strikes on 99 pitches.
Gallen, for his part, yielded four runs on six hits and two walks across six innings. He struck out only one batter. Game 5 represented the first time in Gallen's career that he's ever finished a big-league appearance with only one strikeout, independent of how many innings he threw in the contest.
It should go without saying that teams who take a 3-2 lead in a best-of-seven series stand a very good chance of converting that lead into a series victory. We're going to say it anyway because that's part of our jobs. Historically, MLB teams to take such leads have then won the series more than 70% of the time, according to the invaluable website WhoWins.com.
The two sides will use Sunday to travel back to Philadelphia, where Game 6 will be played at Citizen Bank Park on Monday. (Game 7, if needed, will take place on Tuesday night.) The Diamondbacks are expected to start right-hander Merrill Kelly (12-8, 3.29 ERA) while the Phillies counter with their own righty Aaron Nola (12-9, 4.46 ERA).
They now hold a 3-2 advantage in the best-of-seven series. Another win, and the Phillies will advance to the World Series for the second consecutive season.
Two down.
One down.
The Phillies lead 6-1.
Slade Cecconi is in the game. That's an 80-grade name.
We're saying there's a chance, Arizona.
It's 6-1 Phillies.
The Phillies' lead should be safe now.
That's Realmuto's third homer of the postseason and first of this series. He now has 12 RBI in the Phillies' 11 playoff games this year.
The rare non-solo homer for the Phillies. I believe they'd hit 15 straight solo shots before Realmuto's two-run dinger.
It's 6-1 Phillies.
Gabriel Moreno is getting absolutely beaten up this postseason. Bat to the head, tackled by Bryce Harper, ball to the face
First time in his MLB career he's finished an appearance with just one strikeout, no matter the amount of innings he threw as part of said contest.
Maybe Wheeler goes back out for the eighth? Game 1 of the World Series is Oct. 27. That's the earliest Wheeler would pitch again (unless they want to use him in relief in NLCS Game 7), so he'd be on extra rest.
Corey is being generous to pitchers-as-hitters here. Their slash lines typically started with 1s across the board.
The Diamondbacks are on the board here in Game 5. It's 4-1 Phillies after Diamondbacks outfielder Alek Thomas homers to right.
The 23-year-old Thomas hit nine homers in 402 plate appearances in the regular season. This homer marked his fourth of the playoffs in his 32nd plate appearance. He hit a home run in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series to break up a no-hitter and spur a D-backs come-from-behind victory. He hit one against the Dodgers in the NLDS. In Game 4 of this series, he hit the game-tying two-run homer off Craig Kimbrel and then he got his team on the board in Game 5.
Seven innings on 99 pitches for Wheeler. Gave the Phillies exactly what they needed.
It's 4-1 Phillies.
He's a Gold Glove finalist for a reason.
Alek Thomas smokes a leadoff home run off Wheeler. It's 4-1 Phils.
Have yourself an NLCS, Alek Thomas
Either way, they better not even have Kimbrel in the bullpen right now. He can relax in the clubhouse.
I wonder if Alvarado is warming in case Wheeler runs into trouble. Seems like it would be a waste to use him against 7-8-9 in the seventh, unless they're worried about his effectiveness on the third straight day and think that's the best chance to get three outs from him. Otherwise you want him against Carroll and Marte.
Suggests we'll see him in the bottom of the seventh.
Diamondbacks have zero.
He's through six scoreless innings on 92 pitches. Does Thomson send him out for the seventh against the 7-8-9 hitters given the state of the bullpen (i.e. taxed)? Might be able to get through the eighth and ninth with SerTony and Strahm, and not have to use Alvarado.
Bryce Harper quickly followed Kyle Schwarber's monster home run with a blast to right field of his own.
Harper had already singled, stolen a base and scored a run in this one and, remarkably, he joins Randy Arozarena as the only players to ever steal home and hit a home run in the same playoff game. It's a testament to the all-around game that Harper is rocking these days.
That shot was 444 feet and Harper's fifth homer so far this postseason. He now has 16 playoff home runs in just 47 games played (to put that in perspective, it extrapolates out to a 162-game pace of 55 homers and that's against playoff pitching).
And then Realmuto bangs into a double play to end the threat. Phillies still tack on two to double their lead.
Gallen has faced five batters the third time through the lineup and gotten one out. Phillies have two on and one out after Stott's single.
Phillies leadoff man Kyle Schwarber just hit another prodigious home run.
That was 461 feet, or what we used to call in the pre-Statcast days, a "tape-measure shot." All the same, it's still a no-doubter and those are pretty common for Mr. Schwarber, especially in his playoff career.
Speaking of which, the Indiana University product has now gone deep 20 times in 63 career playoff games. He has five homers in this series alone.
There are many many reasons Bryce Harper is a delight to watch play baseball, but one of them is that you know a home run is gone off the bat. It sounds silly to say, and maybe it is silly, but it just looks different.
