PHILADELPHIA— Talk about making a statement.
With the calendar flipping to the month of September, the Philadelphia Phillies have no choice but to put their best product on the field. With the playoff race heating up and the division in their grasp, every game matters a little more come September. After a brief homestand, the Phillies flew to Milwaukee to dance with the best team in baseball.
Entering the series, the Milwaukee Brewers (85-53) held the best record in Major League Baseball. They led the Phillies by 5.5 games for the first seed in the National League playoffs. This series would certainly determine whether or not the Phillies had any chance of catching them for top billing.
Early struggles
Taijuan Walker took the ball for his club in game one. Walker has been a positive this season for the Phillies, and the team was relying on him to battle with a hot Brewers lineup.
That same Brewers lineup proved why their club is on top of Major League Baseball. Leadoff hitter Bryce Turang led off the game with a solo home run, giving the Brewers a 1-0 lead. Milwaukee did not stop there, however. A Blake Perkins double would drive home William Contreras and Christian Yelich to expand the Brewers' lead to three.
In the bottom of the second, Caleb Durbin would add on. A solo shot of his own gave the Brewers their fourth run of the game, and it felt like the game was getting out of hand early, much like the previous matchups between both teams. At the end of May, these two clubs met in Philadelphia. Milwaukee swept out the Phillies in three games, including a 17-7 beatdown in their second matchup.
The scoring would slow down in Milwaukee until the fourth. This time, however, it was the Phillies getting on the board. A solo home run by Bryce Harper would make it 4-1 Brewers, but put the Phils back into the game.
Milwaukee answered in the bottom half of the inning. A sacrifice fly from Jackson Chourio scored Sal Frelick, returning the Brewers' lead to four runs.
Offense battles back
In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Phillies would finally start to get after Brewers’ starter Jacob Misiorowski. “The Miz”, a 2025 All-Star, was making quick work of the offense. This was, of course, until Trea Turner made his mark on the ballgame.
With Bryson Stott and Max Kepler on, Turner would smoke a triple to right field, scoring both players. This made it a 5-3 game, and the Phillies threatened. With Kyle Schwarber and Harper due up next, the momentum was turning. Neither player would convert and were stranded at third. Regardless, the team was still in the game and battling.
In the top of the sixth, the Phillies kept swinging. Harrison Bader would hit his 18th double of the season, driving in J.T. Realmuto. A sacrifice fly from Kepler would score Brandon Marsh to tie the ballgame, and a sacrifice fly by Edmundo Sosa would give the Phillies a lead the very next batter. A huge rally had erased a 5-1 lead by Milwaukee, making it 6-5 Philadelphia.
Baseball Drama
Like any good matchup, the Brewers refused to go down without a fight. In the bottom of the sixth, they tied the game up on an error by Stott, who traditionally plays an outstanding second base. He took his focus off the play, and it cost the Phillies the lead. The seventh inning was scoreless, but the eighth inning was a sight to behold.
Marsh would lead off the inning with a single and be followed by Bader once again. The Phillies’ trade deadline acquisition would double, driving in Marsh and regaining the lead for the Phils. A 7-6 lead would not be the last action of the frame.
Later in the inning, a two-out double from Bryson Stott would score Bader. Stott made up for his mistake in the field with a big base hit, giving his club an 8-6 lead.
David Robertson would pitch the bottom of the eighth. Robertson has been very good for the Phillies since returning to baseball in August. After two strikeouts to start the inning, Robertson would walk Chourio and then allow a single to Contreras. He then would walk Yelich, loading the bases.
A ground ball from pinch-hitter Isaac Collins would sneak under the glove of Turner, allowing two runs to score. The Collins’ single tied the game at 8-8, and while it was not an error by the Phillies’ shortstop, it was a play he would like to have back.
The End
With a tie game, the Phillies had the heart of their order up with a chance to fight back. Schwarber would start with a walk before Harper went down on strikes. A Realmuto walk then gave the Fightins two runners on with one out. Realmuto’s walk came on a checked swing with a full count. The first base umpire, Jim Wolf, did not believe Realmuto swung. Brewers’ skipper Pat Murphy did, and he left Wolf hear it. The umpire would toss Murphy, adding to some late drama.
Garrett Stubbs would pinch run for Schwarber, making it his first action of the 2025 season. Stubbs had been in Triple-A for the team all season, playing well for the Iron Pigs. Not only was Stubbs getting a chance to play daily, but he also helped the young pitching staff grow. I would credit him for being a huge help to Mick Abel’s development, who the Phillies ultimately flipped for Jhoan Duran.
With runners on, Marsh would come through. An RBI single would give the Phillies 9-8 lead. Bader would follow Marsh once again, singling in a run himself. This gave the Phillies a 10-8 lead, with Duran warming in the ‘pen.
In the bottom of the ninth, Duran would shut down the Milwaukee Brewers 1-2-3, giving him his ninth save as a Philadelphia Phillie.
Notes & Quotes
Bader is now hitting .313 with the Phillies this season. Since joining the team on August 1, Bader has proven he should be the club’s everyday center fielder. His trade deadline partner, Duran, now has nine saves with the Phillies. He leads the team in saves this season, despite only being with the team for a calendar month.
Nick Castellanos did not play as he is dealing with a welt from Saturday night’s game. He was hit by a pitch late in the game and would come around to score as the winning run.
Stat Lines
Brandon Marsh: 4/5, two runs, one RBI.
Harrison Bader: 3/5, two doubles, two runs, three RBI.
Trea Turner: 2/5, one triple, two RBI.
Bryce Harper: 2/5, one home run, one run, one RBI.
