4 bases-loaded walks isn’t a record, but it is remarkable
The walk is rarely exciting. It’s often encouraging, often frustrating, sometimes intentional, but rarely exciting. Just about the only time in which a walk can be actively exciting is when the bases are loaded. That’s always good for a bit of a thrill. But if it happens enough, it goes from exciting to exasperating, to unbelievable. Ask anyone who was in attendance tonight.
Aaron Nola started off the game by inducing a weak ground ball for an out. But Willy Adames smacked a liner into left for a one-out double (though a good throw from Kyle Schwarber, manning the field thanks to a lineup designed to avoid matching Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh against a tough lefty, made it a close play). Jung Hoo Lee lined one right over the glove of a leaping Edmundo Sosa at 2nd, and the San Franciscos had an early lead. Matt Chapman put a grounder right up the middle to make it to base safely, Nola walked the next batter, and the bases were full. Nola recovered partially by getting Lamonte Wade Jr. on a punchout, only to surrender a run by walking Wilmer Flores. Nola was able to get Patrick Bailey to hit a grounder, but a sliding Trea Turner just barely missed reaching it, with the ball glancing off his glove, ending up in the outfield and scoring two more. Nola was, at last, able to end the inning with a strikeout.
But Lady Luck was generous with her favor. Or perhaps it was Lady No Control that set her sights on Giants hurler Robbie Ray. Turner reached base on an infield single, Bryce Harper worked a walk, and both advanced on a wild pitch. Kyle Schwarber took a free pass as well, and the bases were loaded, with no outs, for Nick Castellanos. He flew out to shallow right. J.T. Realmuto, DHing for the day, apparently decided turnabout was fair play and took 4 balls to give the Giants the pain of a walked-in run. Alec Bohm worked the count full only to whiff for strike 3. Then Edmundo Sosa walked for another run, giving the entire metro area a sense of dejá vu. A Rafael Marchan strikeout ended among the sloppiest 1st innings you’ll ever see.
Nola steadied his course after that, putting up a trio of innings that were, if not entirely clean, at least scoreless. Ray could not say the same. A leadoff double allowed to Rojas in the bottom 4th preceded a blast to right from Harper, and the game was tied.
But again, the pendulum tilted back. Lee doubled to right, Chapman singled to center, and an errant throw from Johan Rojas slipped past Marchan, allowing Lee to score from third and giving the Giants a 5-4 lead.
Things didn’t get easier for the Phils. Nola loaded the bases in the 6th with a pair of walks and a single. His night ended, and José Ruiz’ began. Thrust into an unenviable situation, Ruiz walked in a run (the 4th such run of the night), then allowed a sacrifice fly to Lee. The Phillies entered their half of the 6th down 7-4.
Brandon Marsh came in as a pinch hitter and struck out. The other half of the Giants battery got in on the sloppiness as Bailey bobbled a dropped third strike and flubbed the throw to first, allowing Turner to reach safely. Harper singled after, starting what could have been a rally. But Schwarber flew out (he got enough of it to demonstrate his power, not enough to get it over the fence) and Castellanos grounded out, and the Phillies deficit remained at 3.
Joe Ross replaced Ruiz, immediately surrendering a single and a walk. Flores singled to center, with the ball taking an odd spin as it approached Marsh. He was able to haul it in, though his effort pulled him to the ground; the result was a run scoring. The result of two subsequent doubles was three more runs scoring.
Carlos Hernández took over for the top of the 8th, and navigated 2 scoreless innings. At last a steady bullpen performance, but too late: the Phillies went down without a run in the 9th. The last pitch of the game was outside, yet called for strike 3. Of course the victim was, once again, J.T. Realmuto. Sometimes the baseball gods thumb their nose at you, and neither pitcher nor batter could tell you what you did to incur their wrath.
The Phillies are 10-8. They’ll finish the series against the Giants tomorrow at 4:05.