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Perfectly fitting for a city whose greatest sports hero is the fictional boxer Rocky Balboa, the Phillies and Mets traded punches back and forth to produce an incredible game two of the NLDS.  To illustrate, I drew from some of my 2024 Grapefruit League photos -- Nick Castellanos, who followed Bryce Harper's 6th inning blast with a game-tying homer... and later produced a dramatic catch... and topped it off with the walk-off single scoring Trea Turner with the winning run to tie the series.
His co-star was Harper, who woke up a slumbering and suffering home crowd with a rocket to the ivy beyond center field.  Does this guy have a sense for the dramatic?  Down 3-0 and four innings from falling behind two games to none, the Phils franchise player again put the team on his back and wrote another storybook chapter in his South Philadelphia career.  And, like Castellanos, Harper had more to offer.  Bottom of the 9th, the game tied again,  Turner on 1st base, Bryce worked a walk, setting up Castellanos' classic moment. 
If the Phillies put on Rocky's gloves, this Mets duo laced up the ones from Apollo Creed.  What a game for Marc Vientos!  A pair of two-run homers that gave New York its early lead -- and even more powerfully, a top of the 9th blast that tied the game.  (The SouthF Florida product also contributed a 1st inning double.) Pretty good for a player who just completed his first big league season!  And according to Jayson Stark of The Athletic, Vientos "was just the third Met in history to hit two home runs in the same postseason game that either tied the score or put the Mets ahead. The others: Edgardo Alfonzo, in Game 1 of the 1999 NLCS (two tie-breaking homers) and Carlos Delgado, in Game 2 of the 2006 NLCS (also two tie-breakers).
The other big New York bat belonged to Pete Alonso, who led off the top of the 6th with his second home run in two days.
Finally, let's dial up the Time Machine: from October 2022, I captured the fireworks over Citizens Bank Park after the Phillies game three win NLCS win over the Padres.


Comments

Kimmi said…
Wonderful write-up of a Playoff instant classic! And photos that capture the heart of the combatants. Thanks, Mike!
October 7, 2024 at 4:45 PM
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