Read the Phillies side (the whole game, score included)
Atlanta at Philadelphia
This is Missed It. Atlanta at Philadelphia, Monday, September 7, 77 and partly cloudy at Citizens Bank Park, with the Phillies. You missed it? Here's the whole game, as it happened.
Pregame
It is a crisp night in Philadelphia, and the Atlanta Braves are in town to face our Phillies. The scoreboard is blank, the crowd is buzzing, and it is a pitching duel in the making. Both teams are scoreless before a single pitch is thrown, and we are ready for a battle. The Braves have the first crack at the plate, and we have the home crowd behind us. This is the kind of game that tests your nerves from the very first inning.
Top 1 - Bot 3
The game begins, and Atlanta sends three batters to the plate in the top of the first. Three up, three down, no runs. The score stays at zero-zero, and we are on our feet. Then it is our turn, and the bottom of the first is where the tension starts to build. Kyle Schwarber steps in with no outs and the bases empty, and he singles on a ground ball to right fielder Lane Thomas. The crowd roars, and suddenly we have a runner on first. The inning keeps rolling, and before we know it, the bases are loaded with two outs. This is the moment. Bryson Stott steps to the plate, and the whole ballpark is holding its breath. He lines out to center fielder Michael Harris II. The inning is over, no runs, and the score remains zero-zero. We had our chance, and it slipped away, but the fight is just beginning. The top of the second is quick, three batters for Atlanta, no runs. The score stays locked at zero-zero. Our turn in the bottom of the second, and it is another quick one, three batters, no runs. The game is moving fast, and the pitchers are in control. The top of the third brings four batters for Atlanta, but still no runs. The score remains zero-zero. And in the bottom of the third, we go down in order, three batters, no runs. Three innings are in the books, and neither team has blinked. It is a pitcher's duel, pure and simple, and the tension is building with every pitch.
Top 4 - Top 6
The middle innings arrive, and the game is still deadlocked at zero-zero. Atlanta sends four batters to the plate in the top of the fourth, but they cannot push a run across. No runs, and the score stays put. We come up in the bottom of the fourth, and it is another quiet inning, three batters, no runs. The pitchers are dealing, and the hitters are struggling to find any rhythm. The top of the fifth is more of the same, three batters for Atlanta, no runs. The score remains zero-zero, and the tension is starting to get to everyone in the ballpark. We take our turn in the bottom of the fifth, and again, three batters, no runs. It is a stalemate, and neither side is giving an inch. The top of the sixth brings three more batters for Atlanta, and still, no runs. The score is still zero-zero, and we are heading into the late innings with everything on the line. This is the kind of game that makes you pace, that makes you grip the armrest, that makes you wonder if anyone is ever going to score. The pitchers are locked in, the defenses are sharp, and every single pitch feels like it could change everything. We need a break, we need a spark, and we need it soon.
The Sequence
This is where the game is decided, and it all starts in the bottom of the sixth. With one out and the bases empty, Trea Turner steps in and doubles on a sharp line drive to left fielder Mauricio Dubón. The crowd erupts, and suddenly we have a runner in scoring position. This is the moment we have been waiting for. But the inning stalls, and we cannot bring him home. Four batters come up, no runs, and the score remains zero-zero. The chance slips away, but the energy is there. The top of the seventh is quick, three batters for Atlanta, no runs. The score stays locked. We come up in the bottom of the seventh, and it is another quiet inning, three batters, no runs. The game is still tied, and the tension is unbearable. Then, in the top of the eighth, Atlanta gets something going. With no outs and the bases empty, Michael Harris II singles on a ground ball to right fielder Bryce Harper. The Braves have a runner on first, and the threat is real. But we hold, three batters come up, no runs, and the score remains zero-zero. Now it is the bottom of the eighth, and this is the moment. With two outs and the bases empty, Kyle Schwarber steps to the plate. The crowd is on its feet, the noise is deafening, and Schwarber delivers. He homers on a fly ball to right center field. The ball sails, the crowd explodes, and we have a one to nothing lead. That is the run, that is the game, and the ballpark is shaking. The top of the ninth brings four batters for Atlanta, but they cannot answer. No runs, and the game is over. We win, one to nothing, and it is Schwarber who broke the deadlock when it mattered most.
Wrap-up
Final score, Atlanta Braves zero, Philadelphia Phillies one. It took eight innings of grinding, of missed chances and near misses, but Kyle Schwarber delivered the blow that won it. A home run to right center field with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, and that was all we needed. The pitching was masterful, the defense held, and the one swing changed everything. This is what baseball is all about, the tension, the release, the joy of a one-run win at home. We take this one, and it feels every bit as good as it should.
Outro
That was Atlanta at Philadelphia, from the Phillies side. This has been Missed It. Every game, both sides, at missed it dot net. Produced by James Barrett.