America’s Pachtime: Phillies 2, Rockies 1

There are all sorts of puns you can use as a headline if your favorite ballclub loses to the Colorado Rockies. “Rocky Mountain Low”. “A Rocky start”. “On the Rocks”. So on and so forth. Aaron Nola took the mound in the hopes of obviating the need to use any of those.

Nola day began with by sending the top of the Rockies lineup down in order (foul pop, strikeout, flyout). Rockies starter Cal Quantrill couldn’t replicate the feat, although he didn’t allow much traffic: The Phillies put Bryce Harper on 1st with a 2-out walk, but JT Realmuto grounded into into a putout (aided by an excellent throw from Rockies’ shortstop Ezequiel Tovar) to end the scoreless 1st.

The 2nd was, as a great baseball mind once put it, like déjà vu all over again: Nola again sent the Rockies down in order, and the Phillies put a baserunner on (Bryson Stott this time) with a 2-out walk, before a grounder and pout ended the inning.

Brenton Doyle produced the first hit of the night with a 1-out single to right, but could advance no further than second before he was stranded. The Phillies one-upped their purple visitors with their own first hit, a Trea Turner grounder that slipped just past Ryan McMahon and toed the 3rd base line perfectly, producing a 2-out double. Harper followed up with a single through the gap between 2nd and 1st, scoring Turner. The inning ended as Harper was caught stealing, continuing the basepath woes that have dogged the Fightins throughout the first month of the campaign.

Ellias Díaz singled with two outs in the top of the 4th; McMahon and Nolan Jones might’ve joined him had it not been for excellent grabs from Johan Rojas and Trea Turner. The Phils went quietly in their half.

In the 5th, Michael Toglia got every bit of a fastball and sent it over the new digital signage in right to tie the game. 9-hole hitter Alan Trejo singled, but Nola prevented the damage from getting any worse.

Nola continued to pitch into the 7th, showing no signs of fatigue and striking out the side. Cal Quantrill’s night ended a little sooner; he was replaced by Justin Lawrence to start the bottom of the 7th. Stott made awkward contact on a sinker with the tip of the bat; three Rockies went for it, none could catch it, as it fell gently and perfectly into no man’s land for a hit. But the good fortune did not compound, and once more the Phillies ended the inning without putting a run on the board.

Nola walked Doyle to begin the 8th, struck out Trejo, and was pulled after a 9 strikeout, 4 hit, 1 run night. He walked back to the dugout amidst a well-deserved standing ovation. José Alvarado came from the bullpen to face Blackmon; he quickly induced a double play for the second and third outs. Jalen Beeks took over pitching duties for the Rockies, promptly providing a leadoff walk for Schwarber, and then advancing him on a wild pitch. Cristian Pache was tapped to run for Schwarber. After inducing a popout of Harper, Beeks was replaced by Nick Mears, and Realmuto lined into an out. The 9th inning arrived in a sleepy game that cried out for some excitement. It soon arrived.

Jeff Hoffman took the ball for the start of the final regulation frame. He induced two quick outs, then allowed a sharp double by Díaz, who was subsequently replaced with pitcher Kyle Freeland as a pinch runner. Hoffman then threw a wild pitch to put him on third. The decision was made to give Jones an intentional pass. Then things got weird. Hoffman tossed another wild pitch, but Realmuto blocked it and flung it back to a charging Hoffman, who collided with Freeland. The ump signaled an out as Freeland grabbed his non-throwing arm and grimaced. The replay crew, after a lengthy review, allowed it to stand and declined to call a blocking of the plate. The Rockies’ tempers flared, and tensions ran about as high as their stadium sits. The Phillies went down quickly and quietly in the bottom of the 9th, and the game headed to extras.

Seranthony Domínguez took the mound to start the 10th, and allowed a screaming liner to Elehuris Montero. But Harper, propelled by a mighty leap, denied Montero both the hit and the glory. Had he not made the play, the subsequent flyout from Toglia would’ve scored Montero and given the Rockies the lead. As it was, the Phillies wrapped up the rest of the inning and went into their frame with a chance to earn their second walkoff of the year.

Jake Bird was tasked with preventing just that. Stott took second as the ghost runner; Whit Merrifield advanced him by demonstrating that the sacrifice bunt, while critically endangered, is not yet extinct. Rob Thomson tapped Alec Bohm to pinch hit for Rojas; he grounded out. That brought up Pache, with Schwarber on the bench as a result of the earlier pinch-running call. Common sense says you’d rather have Schwarber batting in that situation, of course.

But common sense, like the replay crew in New York, would not save the Rockies. Pache slipped a grounder through the right side of the infield, scoring Stott and winning the game.

The joy of a walkoff win can’t entirely drown out the questions about the Phillies’ quiet bats and their 6 hits against a questionable pitching staff. But those discussions can wait for the morning. Tonight is for Cristian Pache, and the celebration of first-ever walkoff. The Phillies are 9-8, and back in action tomorrow at 6:40 for game 2 of the series.