The Phillies are set to compete in their very first Game 7, marking a significant event in their 141-year history. This match is scheduled for Tuesday evening at Citizens Bank Park. This follows their recent 5-1 defeat to the D-backs during Game 6 of the National League Championship Series on the previous night.
Philadelphia was in a position that took many by surprise. They managed to win against Arizona at their home ground during the initial two matches in the seven-game series. However, the Phillies faced some challenges in Games 3 and 4 at Chase Field but bounced back with a strong win in Game 5 in Phoenix. Also, it's noteworthy that under the leadership of manager Rob Thomson, they had a record of winning five times without a loss in games that could secure the series for them before Monday's match.
In Game 6, Aaron Nola didn't have his best performance. He gave up four runs over 4.1 innings. During the second inning, Tommy Pham and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit consecutive home runs against him. Later in that same inning, Evan Longoria doubled, allowing another run and giving Arizona a lead of 3-0.
The Phillies faced their biggest challenge of the playoffs, which silenced their usually lively home audience of 45,473.
Schwarber stated, "We're embracing it."
“That’s all we got is tomorrow.”
In 2016, Schwarber played a significant role in helping the Cubs secure a victory against Cleveland during the World Series. Similarly, in the 2019 World Series, Trea Turner was instrumental in assisting the Nationals in defeating the Astros.
“It’s going to be all hands on deck,” Schwarber stated. “It’s going to be fight, scratch, claw. Do whatever you can to score a run. Find a way to get outs. Find a way to move up an extra 90 feet. Anything that you can. Tomorrow's going to be a really exciting game because anything goes. This could be it. It's exciting. It's going to be good, anxiouly nerves coming onto the field tomorrow. This is what you live for, going into the backyard. Game 7. It's going to be fun.
In Game 2, Merrill Kelly, the right-hander for the D-backs, gave up three home runs to the Phillies. These homers were the only hits he let through. In Game 6, Kelly had an impressive performance. He only gave up three hits and a single run over five innings. Notably, he didn't allow any home runs in that game and managed to strike out eight players.
The Phillies are set to play against rookie Brandon Pfaadt in Game 7. During Game 3, Pfaadt gave up only two hits and managed to strike out nine players over 5 2/3 innings without letting them score. That game marked the Phillies' first encounter with him. They're hopeful that their experience from last week will give them an advantage this coming Tuesday.
The Phillies are going with Ranger Suárez as their left-handed pitcher. He has an impressive 0.94 ERA, which stands as the best in playoff history for those with at least five starts. This record is even better than the renowned left-hander, Sandy Koufax, who had a 0.95 ERA.
The Rangers are set to compete in Game 1 of the World Series this coming Friday evening. The Phillies are aspiring to be their opponents.
In playoff series that are best out of seven, teams that managed to win the sixth game and push it to a seventh game have been victorious 34 times out of 60 (57%). When it comes to decisive matches in the playoffs, teams playing at their home grounds have a record of 62 wins and 64 losses. Specifically, for best-of-seven series, the home teams' record is 30 wins and 28 losses.