Dominant performance from an ace? Cheque. Running the house with your big sluggers? Cheque. The Philadelphia Phillies‘Dream October somehow got better on Tuesday Zack Wheeler The flummoxed San Diego Padres in Game 1 of the NLCS. Wheeler struck out eight in seven innings of polished one-hit ball in a 2-0 win.
Both of those runs came on two swings by the Padres starter Yu Darvish. The first plane flew off the bat into the air Bryce Harbor The fourth rarely lands in the left-field seats. A missile off the mighty bat of the second NL home run champion Kyle Schwarber. Exit velocity was estimated at 119.7 mph and 488 feet, breaking all sorts of post-Statcast records and Harper’s brain.
Outside of those swings, it’s a tried-and-true pitchers’ battle. Darvish allowed just one hit in seven innings of work, but the damage was done.
Beyond the win, the Schwarber homer should boost the Phillies’ chances at a championship. He was batting .050 so far in the 2022 playoffs. No one is concerned that he can’t handle the postseason — he now has 10 postseason homers — but a prolonged slump may have forced the Phillies to change their lineup scheme.
Perhaps the most interesting moment of the game was when Phillies manager Rob Thompson chose to end Wheeler’s dominant night after just 83 pitches. He had a flawless eighth inning Serantani Dominguez, but Jose Alvarado ran into trouble in the ninth inning. The left-hander walked Professor Jurickson One out, then had to work around a bad fielder choice with two men on. He got it and escaped Manny Machado Popped up and fired Josh Bell.
The Phillies are now 1-0 and have a road win in the books. They will send it tomorrow afternoon Aaron Nola To the hill opposite San Diego Blake Snell Looking for a 2-0 lead.
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