That is going to sound harsh proper at first, however right here’s the deal. Craig Kimbrel is an objectively good main league pitcher. Alek Thomas is an objectively mediocre main league hitter. I’m not making an attempt to say something dangerous about Thomas, to be clear. I believe he’s an superior participant, the type of man I’d prefer to have on my staff for his spectacular defensive means. However Thomas began the day on the bench, and Kimbrel began the day because the Phillies nearer. Neither of them look more likely to head again to that function any time quickly.
Why? As a result of after three hours and 14 pitchers, Sport 4 of the NLCS got here right down to a easy matchup. Kimbrel stood on the mound. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. lounged on second base after a double to start out the eighth. With a two-run lead, Kimbrel had a easy mission: maintain the ball within the ballpark. His opponent? Thomas, who got here in to pinch hit for Emmanuel Rivera. Thomas isn’t anybody’s thought of an ace pinch hitter. He compiled a 71 wRC+ this season, which introduced his profession mark to 72. He got here into the sport with a 56 wRC+ within the playoffs. The Phillies began a lefty, and it seemed like Thomas may spend Friday’s recreation like he did Thursday’s, hanging out on the bench after which pinch operating.
There was only one drawback for Philadelphia: Kimbrel didn’t have his curveball. He’s constructed a Corridor of Fame profession on two pitches, however the standout is a knuckle curve that appears to tear the material of spacetime on its approach house. It’s a type of pitches that, when it’s working, can’t be countered. It begins proper in the midst of the plate, after which poof, it’s within the filth when you flail helplessly. However on Friday, none of that was true. The primary three curves Kimbrel threw missed badly. The fourth spun invitingly within the zone, and Evan Longoria barely missed it, socking a 96 mph line drive to deep left that landed in Brandon Marsh’s glove. Then Kimbrel missed with two curves to identify Thomas a 2-0 depend.
Baseball’s a tricky recreation, and it’s significantly robust to guess what pitch is coming subsequent. The curveball isn’t working, so clearly it’s a fastball. However Kimbrel is aware of that Thomas is aware of that, so clearly it’s a curveball. However Thomas is aware of that Kimbrel is aware of that Thomas is aware of, so clearly it’s a fastball. You might swap iocaine powder between glasses endlessly, however on the finish of the day, the curveball wasn’t working, and Thomas and Kimbrel each got here to the identical conclusion. This at-bat was going to be decided by fastballs.
Kimbrel dotted one on the within nook that Thomas meekly fouled off. He missed additional inside to take the depend to 3-1. He got here again with one other one, inside once more, which Thomas fouled off. A 3-2 depend, nonetheless clearly fastball time, and Thomas needed to be pondering inside, proper? Proper? Flawed:
ALEK THOMAS TIES IT! ? #NLCS pic.twitter.com/bucXC3XFMz
— MLB (@MLB) October 21, 2023
Thomas obliterated that ball, plain and easy. He hit it 104.2 mph and was out on it so rapidly that he pulled it regardless of the type of location that has announcers screaming “Go the opposite approach!” As a substitute, he put it into the best area pool. Instantly, the whole earlier recreation was erased. Kimbrel sagged, defeated, and adopted by permitting two of the following three runners to achieve. Gabriel Moreno slashed a single to heart towards the unexpectedly summoned José Alvarado, the Diamondbacks led 6-5, and that was that (after Paul Sewald gritted his approach by means of what was admittedly a nervy ninth).
That’s how the story ends. Hopefully, although, it gained’t take away from the way it began, as a result of this recreation was bananas. Each groups checked out their pitching workers, shrugged their shoulders, and went to the bullpen. The Diamondbacks began reliever Joe Mantiply, a lefty aimed squarely at Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper. The Phillies countered with Cristopher Sánchez, who final began a recreation on September 24. He wasn’t even Philadelphia’s fourth starter this yr; that’d be Taijuan Walker, who put collectively a strong season however hasn’t appeared within the playoffs. However Sánchez has electrical stuff, and the Phillies have been knocking their opponents over with dominant pitches all postseason lengthy, so I can see what they had been pondering right here.
Sadly, it seems that sitting out for a month will not be a great way to remain sharp. Sánchez’s management was intermittent at greatest. He threw a wild pitch, and a cross-up led to J.T. Realmuto being charged with a handed ball. He walked a batter and solely recorded a single strikeout. Within the second, Gurriel hit a little question double play ball on to Sánchez, who misplaced observe of what number of outs there have been and trotted over to first to finish the inning – or so he thought. The subsequent two runners reached to present Arizona a 1-0 lead. An inning later, Moreno singled house Ketel Marte. And so each groups began the reliever conga line, and the sport teetered off its axis.
Lefty Kyle Nelson gave up a 137 mph line drive house run (estimated by me, and undoubtedly not by Statcast) to Schwarber within the fourth. Andrew Saalfrank, whose job is particularly to get lefties out, didn’t get lefties out. He let Marsh hit a game-tying double, then got here again the following inning to stroll the bases loaded towards Schwarber, Trea Turner, and Harper. Ryan Thompson got here in to attempt to make an emergency touchdown, however the airplane crashed: a chopped grounder to 3rd changed into two runs when Rivera and Moreno couldn’t join on a play on the plate, and the Phillies turned a 2-0 deficit right into a 4-2 lead. When Thompson surrendered a one-out triple to Johan Rojas within the seventh, Philadelphia went forward 5-2 on a sacrifice fly, and lampposts throughout Delaware County quaked in anxious jubilation.
On their aspect, nonetheless, the Phillies had loads of their very own pitching unrest to wade by means of. Jeff Hoffman opened up a reduce on his pitching thumb whereas laboring by means of six batters. Seranthony Domínguez obtained himself right into a jam virtually instantly after coming into, although he wriggled out of it with out giving up a run. Gregory Soto confronted three batters and allowed two baserunners – after which Orion Kerkering poured gasoline on the hearth by strolling the primary two batters he confronted, narrowing the rating to 5-3. These bullpens had been completely not up for it; the rookies seemed rookie-ish, the veterans couldn’t discover the strike zone, and admittedly, they might all use a relaxation.
They may get one on Saturday. Zac Gallen and Zack Wheeler are scheduled for a duel, and each groups will lean closely on their aces after emptying out the whole bullpen in Sport 4. This was the type of stumbling battle you anticipate to see when the again finish of two Wild Card groups’ rotations face one another. Each offenses seemed electrical. Each pitcher gave the impression to be locked in a perpetual 3-1 depend with a runner on second base, dancing distractingly. In the long run, essentially the most well-known pitcher to take the mound turned a 5-3 lead right into a 5-6 deficit within the blink of a watch. It wasn’t an evening for pitchers. It was an evening for chaos – and for Alek Thomas.