Phillies show off Orioles' secret weapon in potential World Series preview

Lina Portman3 weeks ago

1 4 minutes read

BALTIMORE − The big secret to the Phillies' success this season isn't really a secret.

Sure, the Phillies can and have managed to claw their way past overmatched teams like the White Sox, Rockies, Nationals, and Marlins.

But that's hard to do against a team like the Orioles, as we saw in a potential World Series preview Friday night, filled with the intensity and exuberance of fans and players from late October.

Of course, the Phillies won 5-3 in 11 innings thanks to Alec Bohm's two-run double that Seranthony Dominguez held on to retire the Orioles in order.

But there was much more to this victory in front of a raucous, sold-out crowd of 43,987, with Phillies fans trading chants with Orioles fans, and the entire stadium hanging on every pitch, every moment of tension.

And that included an hour and 11 minute timeout for a rain delay just as the 10th inning ended on a wild pitch that allowed the Orioles to tie the game — after a replay review overturned the withdrawal call.

“It was a lot of fun,” Bohm said. “A lot of (Phillies) red. It was a really cool environment. It's June, but it was really loud, the crowd was into it.”

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Just like the Phillies, who improved to a National best score of 47-22. The Orioles aren't far behind at 45-24.

And really, if you closed your eyes, you could see Ranger Suarez playing the role of Steve Carlton, who led the Phillies to the 1983 World Series against the Orioles, which the Orioles won in five games.

Or Orioles starter Kyle Bradish playing Mike Boddicker (Jim Palmer, who was 37 that season, was past his prime).

Okay, there was one major difference: There was no way 1983 Phillies manager Paul Owens would have pulled Suarez after 6 2/3 innings after Suarez had dominated the Orioles' power lineup by pitching only 88 throws.

Just like there's no way Suarez of 1983 would have let this happen.

As it turned out, Orioles starter Kyle Bradish was pulled after 5 innings and 74 pitches due to an elbow strain. Bradish allowed just three hits, but two of them were home runs – Kyle Schwarber leading off the game and Rafael Marchan, with his first hit of 2024, in the fifth inning.

For mid-June 2024, it was big theater, and not just because it was the second sellout of the season for the Orioles. By the way, the Orioles' third and fourth sellouts of the season are already set for Saturday and Sunday.

No wonder Phillies manager Rob Thomson began his postgame press conference by saying, “First of all, I just want to say we have the greatest fans in the world. These people stayed until 'at the end it was really cool.'

The Phillies – and their fans – had to endure Anthony Santander's game-tying home run in the eighth inning. Then, after Schwarber's game-clinching RBI single in the 10th, the Orioles tied it in the bottom of the 10th on Orion Kerkering's wild pitch as Cedric Mullins dove across home plate inches before Marchan's tag.

And then the rain came.

All this experienced the drama of the end of October.

Legions of Phillies fans filled the charming Camden Yards. Chants of “Let’s go to the Phillies!” » alternated with chants of “Let's go O's!” when Kerkering, the 23-year-old fireball pitcher, struck out the Orioles' Adley Rutschman and Ryan O'Hearn, each on 98 mph fastballs, in the 10th inning.

This brought up slugger Gunnar Henderson with runners on 1st and 2nd. Henderson is second in the majors with 21 home runs.

Kerkering fell behind Henderson 3-for-0. Then he got two strikes thrown at him before walking him to load the bases, bringing Santander up. That's when Kerkering threw a wild pitch that bounced hard off the brick behind home plate and came right back at Marchan, who said he slipped as he lunged at Mullins.

Marchan, called up last week from the minors, shares catching duties with Garrett Stubbs while JT Realmuto recovers from knee surgery.

“It’s amazing,” Marchan said. “This team has done a great job playing great games, and being a part of it just makes me grateful.”

This is where the Phillies' not-so-big secret became apparent: runs are going to get harder to make as the competition improves. The Phillies already saw that earlier in the month when they swept a three-game series against the Central League-leading Brewers, winning 3-1, 2-1, 2-0.

It's no different against the Orioles. Bradish entered the game with a 2.82 ERA. Grayson Rodriguez, with a 3.27 ERA, is the Orioles' starter on Saturday. Corbin Burnes, with a 2.08 ERA, starts Sunday.

The Phillies, of course, can compete with anyone. Suarez lowered his ERA to 1.77. Zack Wheeler, who pitches Sunday, is at 2.16.

Pitching has been key as the Phillies have played the past five weeks without Trea Turner (hamstring), who is expected to return possibly as early as Sunday. The Phillies are 25-11 without him.

Outfielder Brandon Marsh, on the IL since June 3 (hamstring) could return as early as Saturday.

The madness began just three pitches into the game, when Schwarber hit his 14th home run of the season and third in four games.

The Orioles tied it in the third, but got no more as Suarez struck out Ryan Mountcastle and Henderson.

Then Marchan homered in the fifth and the Orioles tied it again on Santander's blast in the eighth.

Lina Portman

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