The Philadelphia Phillies may have had a cold sweat at the end of Game 1 of their Divisional Championship series against the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday at Truist Park, but they still managed to pull off a 7-0 win. 6.
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Leading 7-3 early in the ninth round at bat of the crowd favorites, the Pennsylvania squad saw Matt Olson cut the lead to a short run with a single swing, he who kicked out a offering pitcher Zach Eflin out of bounds, while two of his teammates were on the trails with just one out recorded.
The Phillies, however, put an end to the hopes of the Braves by removing William Contreras and Travis d’Arnaud in quick succession. The latter also missed the opportunity to be a real hero for his team, he who had already produced the first three points of his team.
Offensively, the winners enjoyed a good start to the game, during which they scored all of their points before the sixth inning.
Nick Castellanos had a great day at bat, with three hits and as many RBIs, while Alec Bohm drove in two more. Edmundo Sosa and Jean Segura also managed one each. Pitcher Max Fried (0-1) was the main victim of this push. In three and a third innings of work, he gave up six runs, four of which were earned, on eight hits and one walk. It was he who added the defeat to his record.
Ranger Suarez started the game on the mound for the Phillies, but was only there for three and a third innings, preventing him from being involved in the decision. Rather, it was reliever Seranthony Dominguez (1-0), in action for two innings, who inherited the win.
The Braves will try to level the series on Wednesday, still at home.
The Mariners get their change back
Later, in the late afternoon, the Seattle Mariners were played a nasty trick, very similar to the one they played on the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 2 of their draft series. They lost a late four-point lead to the Astros to eventually lose 8-7 to Houston.
Trailing 7-3 heading into their eighth turn at bat, the crowd favorites first cut the visitors’ lead in half, thanks to Alex Bregman’s homer.
The Astros also ended the game with the long ball. As Jake Meyers and Jeremy Pena were out on the trails, Yordan Alvarez welcomed gunner Robbie Ray, who had just entered the game to face him, kicking his second shot out of bounds ground.
The loss obviously went to Ray’s record, while reliever Rafael Montero (1-0), in action in the ninth inning, saw the win go to his record.
The game had started badly for the Astros and their starting pitcher Justin Verlander. The latter was replaced after only four innings, giving up six runs on 10 hits and one walk. Julio Rodriguez and Ty France particularly benefited from Verlander’s difficult exit, each producing two points at his expense.
The Mariners will now try to even the series on Thursday, still in Houston.
The Yankees begin their quest on the right foot
The Yankees weren’t particularly spectacular at bat in their first playoff game of 2022, but they were opportunistic Tuesday in New York, defeating the Cleveland Guardians 4-1 in the first game of their championship series of dividing.
Of their five strikes to safety, two ended their journey out of bounds. Harrison Bader’s solo homer in the third inning tied the game, while Anthony Rizzo’s two-run homer in the sixth inning provided a comfortable cushion.
In addition to these two men, Jose Trevino also produced a point for the winners, he whose sacrifice balloon allowed Isiah Kiner-Falefa to complete his lap of the trails.
But it was crowd favorite starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (1-0) who stole the show. In six and a third innings on the mound, the 32-year-old put eight opponents in the dust. Cole finally gave up after allowing the visitors’ only run, a Steven Kwan solo homer, as well as a total of four hits and a walk.
In the Guardians’ camp, starter Cal Quantrill (0-1) gave up all four runs, three of which were earned, on four hits and three free passes.
The Yankees will look to take a 2-0 series lead on Thursday at Yankee Stadium.
- All National League playoff games are broadcast on TVA Sports.