WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Even after receiving their shortest start in nearly two weeks on a night when they knew they’d be without their top two relievers, the Phillies found a way again, tying the A’s in the ninth inning, throwing the would-be walk-off run out at the plate in the bottom of the 10th and extending their winning streak to nine games with a wild 9-6 win in 11 innings.
Kyle Schwarber delivered the game-winning hit, a two-run double down the right-field line with one out in the 11th. A’s first baseman Logan Davidson obstructed his path to second base and Schwarber alertly hustled all the way to third, immediately motioning to umpire Bill Miller, who awarded him third base. Schwarber then chugged his way home and clapped his hands hard in celebration after barely beating CJ Alexander’s throw home from right field.
“It was electric,” said Max Kepler, who obliterated a 101.4 mph from A’s closer Mason Miller to tie the game in the top of the ninth.
It only reached the 11th because of Brandon Marsh’s outfield assist after the A’s loaded the bases with nobody out in the 10th. Brent Rooker hit a ball to medium center field and Marsh played it perfectly, camping under it with momentum toward the plate to nail Davidson. It was a rough big-league debut for Davidson, who suffered the trifecta of being thrown out at the plate, interfering with Schwarber on the basepaths and making the final out of the game within the span of 45 minutes.
“The suspense was building up,” Marsh said when asked if the flyball to him seemed to move in slow motion.
Neither Kepler nor Marsh were in the lineup to begin the game. The A’s started lefty Jeffrey Springs so the Phillies countered with Weston Wilson and Johan Rojas. Kepler and Marsh pinch-hit for them in the seventh inning and both reached base before their later heroics.
“I told Marsh specifically that we have an opportunity here to turn this baseball game around and we did,” Kepler said. “Kinda right before we went into the game, just like, here we go, let’s make a change here. He did it on defense with a nasty throw. Everyone contributed from every angle.”
The Phillies are 34-19, three games ahead of the Mets in the NL East and a game better than the Tigers for the best record in MLB.
They had to pull out all the stops becase they were without Jordan Romano and Matt Strahm, who both pitched Thursday and Friday. Manager Rob Thomson hadn’t used a reliever three days in a row since September 20-22, 2023 (Jeff Hoffman and Craig Kimbrel) but did so with Orion Kerkering on Saturday against the A’s. The difference was that Kerkering had thrown only one pitch Thursday and four on Friday whereas Romano and Strahm had full workloads.
Thomson used six relievers after pulling stater Cristopher Sanchez, who struggled with control, with two outs in the fifth. The bullpen combined to allow two earned runs over 6⅓ innings, a terrific job given the circumstances.
The save went to Max Lazar, the last man in the bullpen who had never before appeared in a high-leverage situation in the major leagues. The 25-year-old right-hander began last season at Double A, pitched well enough to earn brief call-ups to the majors in August and September and was recalled again Monday when the Phillies optioned Mick Abel back to Triple A.
Lazar was the last man left in the ‘pen Saturday night and did his job with a scoreless 11th inning. He earned his first career save and kept the ball.
“The three-run lead definitely helped,” Lazar said. “Just trying to follow the guys in front of me. I knew we had some guys down so other guys had to step up. It was a back-and-forth game so just trying to stay locked in every moment.”
These nine straight wins for the Phillies have come against the Pirates, Rockies and A’s. The Pirates and Rockies have been the worst two offenses in baseball and the A’s have lost 11 consecutive games. But you play who’s on your schedule that day and the Phillies have had help from everyone on the roster to put this run together.
“Most people probably thought we were done in the ninth with Miller coming in,” Thomson said. “So many things happened in extra innings, it’s just hard to explain.”
It’s a short turnaround to Sunday afternoon when the Phillies go for their 10th straight win, third straight sweep and an undefeated road trip.
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