Phillies eight-run – Trailing 8-6 heading into the ninth, the Phillies scored eight runs highlighted by Bryson Stott’s towering 403-foot homer, then held on to beat the Nationals 14-9 on Tuesday night in Washington.
WASHINGTON — The Nationals carried an 8-6 lead into the top of the ninth, and for a moment it looked like Philadelphia’s comeback would stall where so many do: just short.
Instead, the Phillies turned the final innings into a spectacle. Brandon Marsh started the surge with a tying two-run homer off Brad Lord with two outs. Bryce Harper and pinch-hitter Derek Hill followed with singles. and then Bryson Stott launched a towering 403-foot shot to right to swing the score Philadelphia’s way.
Edmundo Sosa kept the pressure on with a two-run double, and Trea Turner added an RBI single to complete an eight-run inning. Washington’s Luis Garcia Jr. homered in the bottom half, but it was too late to change the outcome. The Phillies held on for a 14-9 win.
The ninth-inning outburst carried into the game’s closing stretch in a hurry. J.T. Realmuto had put Philadelphia ahead 6-5 earlier, driving in three runs with a triple in the top of the eighth. But Washington responded immediately when Jorbit Vivas launched a three-run homer in the bottom half to move the Nationals back in front at 8-6.
Once the Phillies got back to work in the ninth, Lord retired the first two batters. Turner broke through with a single and Marsh homered to right. After that, Sosa and Turner added the insurance blows that turned a one-inning contest into a nine-run swing.
Sosa’s night was central to the comeback. He added a two-run double in the ninth and also homered and drove in five runs while starting in place of MLB home run leader Kyle Schwarber. who was out of the lineup. Stott finished with three hits and scored four runs. and Marsh completed the evening with a triple short of the cycle.
Washington’s Dylan Crews produced a strong personal stat line with two hits, a walk and three runs, but the Nationals had to watch their late advantage slip away.
The game’s turning points were laid out earlier too. In the fourth inning, the Nationals scored two-out, two-run singles from Nasim Nuñez and José Tena to build a 5-0 lead. Later, after Stott singled leading off the fifth, Sosa homered to centre off Zack Littell with two outs.
There was also a moment in the seventh when Washington tied a knot that Philadelphia would eventually cut. With Sosa batting against Orlando Ribalta as the tying run with men on first and third and one out. he hit a sharp grounder to third and beat the relay throw to first. letting Philadelphia’s third run score.
On the mound, Phillies starter Jesús Luzardo worked 6.2 innings, allowing five runs on six hits and three walks. He matched his career high with 13 strikeouts. For Washington, bulk reliever Zack Littell allowed two runs on five hits over four innings.
Even before the first pitch, the lineup had to adjust. Schwarber was a late scratch with low back tightness, and Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams was also scratched late with left-side tightness.
Orion Kerkering entered to pitch for Philadelphia in the ninth, working one inning and allowing three runs, yet earning the victory.
Philadelphia and Washington now turn their attention to the series’ next chapter, with Aaron Nola (3-4, 5.71 ERA) set to oppose Miles Mikolas (2-6, 5.47) in the third game of the four-game series.
Phillies Nationals 14-9 Bryson Stott Brandon Marsh J.T. Realmuto Edmundo Sosa Trea Turner ninth inning rally Luis Garcia Jr. Jorbit Vivas