Phillies’ potential storybook season ends in a nightmare

Phillies’ potential storybook season ends in a nightmare originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

A season that seemed destined to end with the Phillies back in the World Series reached a jarring conclusion Tuesday in Game 7 of the NLCS after the Arizona Diamondbacks came into Citizens Bank Park and won on back-to-back nights in a stadium where visitors had been overwhelmed all month.

It was a result few saw coming after the Phillies jumped out to 2-0 and 3-2 series leads. They were heavily favored to beat the D-backs, who won only 84 games to sneak into the playoffs as the final wild-card team. Just like the 2022 Phillies, Arizona won three consecutive rounds without home-field advantage to advance to the World Series.

This will go down as one of the biggest collapses in Phillies history. The series appeared to be in the bag after the Phils’ 10-run win in Game 2. They led by one run in the bottom of the seventh inning of Game 3, which they lost by walk-off. They led by two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning of Game 4 before Craig Kimbrel’s implosion.

Game 7 was close from start to finish but the Diamondbacks were able to answer as soon as the Phillies took their lead by scoring two in the top of the fifth. The go-ahead run was Corbin Carroll, who singled for the third time and stole his second base of the night. Gabriel Moreno followed with a softly-hit single to right field and the Phillies never re-tied the game, losing 4-2.

Even when the Phillies took their one-run lead in the fourth, they stranded the bases loaded with Johan Rojas striking out to end a poor at-bat. It was a huge spot in the game and it could have called for a pinch-hitter. Had Rob Thomson used Jake Cave, the Diamondbacks would have countered with lefty Joe Mantiply, forcing the Phils to counter again with Cristian Pache. A similar spot came up in the seventh inning of Game 6 and Thomson let Rojas hit for himself then, as well. He said Tuesday afternoon that he would have gone the Cave-Pache route in Game 6 for Rojas’ final at-bat but not before, so that was likely his thinking in Game 7. Pache eventually pinch-hit in the seventh inning and walked.

The Phillies missed too many opportunities. They had Brandon Marsh on second base with one out and the top of the order due up in the third. Kyle Schwarber struck out looking and Trea Turner grounded out.

They had the bases loaded in the fourth after the D-backs pitched around Marsh to get to Rojas.

They stranded Schwarber’s leadoff double in the fifth.

They had runners on first and second with one out for Turner in the seventh but he was overly aggressive for the second straight night, beginning the at-bat with two swings at low-and-away sliders. Both Turner and Bryce Harper flied out to center to end the inning. They were a combined 0-for-8 and went 4-for-35 in the final five games of the NLCS. Nick Castellanos went 0-for-23 with 11 strikeouts after homering in his first at-bat of Game 1.

The Phillies did not have a hit in their final 17 plate appearances of the night. The offense peaked slightly too early.

When the typically overpowering Jose Alvarado entered in the seventh and uncharacteristically allowed three straight hard-hit balls for a single, double and sacrifice fly to provide the D-backs insurance, you could tell it wasn’t the Phillies’ night. Or their year.

The Phils felt all season that they had a good chance to return to the World Series, which they led 2-1 last October before losing in six games. They knew they had the talent, they had three starting pitchers they could trust and a bullpen filled with velocity and high-quality secondary pitches.

They went 65-40 in their final 105 regular-season games. They dominated the Marlins in a wild-card round sweep. They won three of four to shock the Braves. They thoroughly outplayed the Diamondbacks in the first two games of the NLCS, homering six times off Arizona’s two best pitchers, Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly.

Then it all came crashing down. Phillies fans still have nightmares about 1964, 1977, 1993 and 2011. Add another to the list.

The franchise has existed for 141 seasons with only two World Series trophies to show for it, 1980 and 2008. This particular club, filled with high-priced veterans in the prime of their careers who have thrived throughout most of the last two Octobers, had the look, until it didn’t.

This was a series they should have won, a series that could have ended before even returning to Philly for Games 6 and 7.

Now another generation of Phillies fans knows how it feels.