Bryce Harper drove in a pair of runs, including the first of four runs in the 10th inning, and the Philadelphia Phillies rallied from giving up a game-tying, bottom-of-the-ninth home run to avoid a road sweep with their 8-5 defeat of the host Cleveland Guardians on Sunday.
The Phillies, coming into the series finale having dropped Friday’s and Saturday’s matchups each by one run, appeared poised to turn the tables after rallying from down 3-1 to take a 4-3 lead into the ninth.
Starting Philadelphia pitcher Aaron Nola buckled down after giving up runs in the first three innings to go scoreless over the next four, then Gregory Soto blanked Cleveland in the eighth. But Phillies closer Craig Kimbrel surrendered a solo home run to David Fry that sent the game into extra innings.
The Phillies recovered quickly, however, blowing the game open in the 10th. Harper ignited the decisive half-inning with a single to center that drove in Johan Rojas.
Realmuto scored Trea Turner on a sacrifice fly, then Alec Bohm drove in both Harper and Bryson Stott to cap the four-run inning.
Tim Herrin (1-1), who was tagged for two earned runs in the 10th, took the loss.
Philadelphia surrendered a run in the bottom of the 10th when Steven Kwan — who finished the day 4-for-5 — singled to drive in Will Brennan. Kwan’s standout performance at the plate also included a first-inning home run.
Cleveland threatened further in the 10th, loading the bases with no outs, but Yunior Marte came on to record three outs in order. Marte earned his second save of the season, while Kimbrel (6-1) recorded the win.
Andres Gimenez homered in the second inning and Jose Ramirez drove in a run with a groundout in the third to put Cleveland ahead 3-1.
Kyle Schwarber’s RBI infield single and Harper’s run-scoring groundout in the fifth let the Phillies force a 3-3 tie. Brandon Marsh’s sixth-inning single to left off Guardians relief pitcher Nick Sandlin drove in J.T. Realmuto to break that tie.
Marsh went 2-for-5 for Philadelphia, Schwarber went 1-for-4 with an RBI and Turner went 2-for-4.
–Field Level Media
