We didn’t get to see the Eagles win again yesterday, but the Phillies made sure we were good by winning their first NL pennant in 13 years. Rhys Hoskins got us on the board first with a beautiful two-run homer in the bottom of the third. The Padres then got a homer of their own at the start of the fourth, and they took their first and (thankfully, for my heart, only) lead of the game with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh. The Padres, the only sports team still in the sunny city of San Diego after the Clippers and Chargers both packed their bags and took their talents to Hollywood, seemed to have all of the momentum going into the eighth inning, but they forgot one crucial fact: they weren’t in San Diego. They were in Philadelphia, where the Phillies had been 4-0 during the postseason going into that game, and they were not about to deprive the fans who had taken them that far of a chance to see them get even further.
The most important player on this team, Bryce Harper, was on the mound after a single from J.T. Realmuto. He got a fastball from Robert Suarez and destroyed that thing, giving us a lead we wouldn’t lose this time and tallying his fifth home run of these playoffs. This is the Harper we paid the GDP of a small nation for and the Harper everybody in this long-suffering fanbase hoped would be exactly what he’s been for us this year: the man we can rely on when everything is on the line. The Phillies still have to win four against the Houston Astros, but I know it’ll happen. This is a team of destiny, and nothing, not even the cheating that we know Houston will try, will separate us from that destiny.
The Sixers also play tonight. Maybe they’ll remember they can actually win games this time!
