Phillies Advance, Playoffs Are a Crapshoot - NLDS Game 4 Recap!
Another wild, wild night in the City of Brotherly Love as another top seed bites the dust...
It is the wild, wild west in Major League Baseball right now.
If we needed any further proof that the playoffs truly are a crapshoot, then the 2023 MLB postseason is it.
My word, this is October chaos at its most wonderfully chaotic.
The teams with the five best records in baseball are all OUT. That includes the juggernaut Atlanta Braves, who were arguably one of the best and most explosive offenses in MLB history in 2023 on their way to winning 104 games. They got the tar beaten out of them by the Philadelphia Phillies for the second year in a row.
Also cooked are the LA Dodgers, who won 100 games during the regular season only to get swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks, who won 84 games. The young, upstart Baltimore Orioles, who racked up 101 wins in one of the best seasons in franchise history, were swept by the Texas Rangers with ease. The Tampa Bay Rays, with 99 wins, and the Milwaukee Brewers, who won 92 games, didn’t make it out of the Wild Card Series.
Those five teams, which included three National League Division winners and two of the American League Division winners, went a combined 1-13 in their playoff games. They were outscored 82-31, and outhomered 31-8.
To further put it into context, the four winningest teams in baseball - the Braves, the Orioles, the Dodgers and the Rays - won a combined 404 regular season games between them, only to go a combined 1-11 in the playoffs.
That is truly wild.
Of the teams left standing, three of whom were Wild Card teams, their combined 354 wins is the fewest ever for the final four teams in the postseason.
I don’t know about you, but this is the kind of chaos I revel in.
All sports fans want is parity, to know that any team, on their day, can compete for a championship and the rare honor to be part of forever.
This is what baseball is giving to us right now. A truly wild postseason that is as unpredictable as it is compelling.
And, as for the four teams remaining - the Phillies, the D-Backs, the Rangers and the Astros - any of those four could go on to win the World Series and I would not be surprised at this point.
The Phillies have all the ingredients needed to last the distance and win baseball’s ultimate prize. The Diamondbacks are this year’s team of destiny, there is no doubt about that. The Rangers are a relentless, formidable force under manager Bruce Bochy, who knows a thing or three about competing for and winning World Series. Then there are the Astros. Ah, the Astros. If there is one team on the planet that is capable of repeating as World Series Champions for the first time since the 1998-2000 New York Yankees, it is the Houston Astros.
We are in for one hell of a ride the rest of the way.
The Championship Series in both Divisions will be a lot of fun. A hell of a lot of fun.
And, if all the above doesn’t convince you once and for all that the playoffs really are a crapshoot and a wild, unpredictable, exhilarating rollercoaster ride, then I really don’t know what will.
Now, with all the big-hitters out of the picture, the rather frustrating debate about the playoff format keeps rearing its ugly head. Again, I don’t want to linger on this because I want to go more in-depth in a separate column. However, all I will say is that the Houston Astros had the same five days off as the Orioles, the Dodgers and the Braves and they are one series win away from making it to a fifth World Series in the last seven years.
The many struggles of the teams with the best records in baseball had nothing to do with too much rest or rust. Nothing whatsoever. And I can’t stress that enough.
The Braves, the Dodgers and the Orioles just didn’t deliver under pressure on the biggest stage.
The Astros - on the same rest- the Phillies, the D-Backs and the Rangers did the exact opposite. That’s why they are all now battling to go to the World Series, and those other teams are sat at home, staring blankly ahead and wondering where it all went wrong.
It is as simple as that.
But I’ll have more thoughts on that later.
For now, let’s dive right into a magical night in Philly with the NLDS Game 4 Recap…
ALDS Game 4 Recap
Atlanta Braves (1-3) 1-3 Philadelphia Phillies (3-1) - Phillies Advances To The NLCS
Think of this as a redemption game for the Phillies.
Think of this as a redemption game for two members of this Philadelphia team in particular.
Trea Turner, who has been the very definition of red-hot for this team since the now famous standing ovation at Citizens Bank Park in early August, committed his first real brain fart of the postseason in Game 2 when he fumbled a routine play to allow Ronald Acũna Jr. to score to make it a 4-1 game.
That proved to be the trigger for events that transpired later.
That set the stage for Travis d’Arnaud to make it a one-run game with a two-run shot, before Austin Riley caused mini earthquakes in Atlanta with a two-run blast that gave the Braves the lead. A lead they were able to protect the rest of the way.
Up to the plate in the top of the ninth came Nick Castellanos. With one out and Bryce Harper on base, Castellanos had the game quite literally in his hands. He had a chance to engineer one more jaw-dropping twist in a game full of them. Instead, the veteran contributed to a play that will live on in Atlanta sports lore for ever.*
*Well, Michael Harris II making that stunning leaping grab and then the play to get Bryce Harper out at first would have gone down as an all-time iconic play in Atlanta sports history. Given what transpired the rest of the way in this series, it probably won’t have as much meaning now. It sure isn’t going to play as well now, put it that way.
On a two-two count, Castellanos swung at a fastball and, for a nano second, the ball looked like it was going to clear the wall. Michael Harris II had other ideas. The Braves outfielder made one of the most clutch leaping grabs you will ever see, robbing Castellanos of what would have been a game-changing hit had it been a home run or not.
And then total chaos ensured. Harris threw the ball over to second, it made its way to Riley who was then able to get out Harper, who was caught trying to get back to first.
And, just like that, game over.
You wondered in that moment if that ending would prove to be a momentum-changer in this series.
After all, following such a firm punch to the gut, would the Phillies be able to recover?
Well, we know the answer to that. Yes, they did. Philadelphia bounced back emphatically in Game 3 thanks to the Bryce Harper game, and then it was the turn of Turner and Castellanos to write their own postseason legacy in Game 4.
Just as he did in Game 2, Riley looked to act as a spark plug for Atlanta as he blasted a solo home run to left field in the fourth inning to get the Braves on the board. Two huge home runs for Riley, who was the only Braves hitter that really delivered in this series.
However, it didn’t matter a damn thing. Because these Phillies are built to navigate all the pressures of October baseball. They have been constructed to elevate their game when it matters the most. Their lineup has been designed to mash and come up with timely hits in big spots in the playoffs.
In other words, this team is doing exactly what it should be doing at this time of year.
Now, here comes the redemption arc.
First up was Castellanos, who avenged his costly out in Game 2 by crushing a solo shot to left field to make it a tied game in the bottom of the fourth. It was an instant response from the Phillies, and it was the jolt an already rocking Citizen Banks Park needed.
They had more to celebrate in the next inning.
Turner, who led MLB in errors (23) during the regular season but who was pretty spotless up until that error in Game 2, knows a thing or two about battling adversity this season. Mired in an all-time slump in early August - hitting just .237 with a .291 on-base percentage - the now-famous standing ovation happened and, as if the cheers from the Philly crowd cast a magic spell on him, Turner proceeded to go on an absolute heater. Between then and the end of the regular season, the shortstop slashed .337/.389/.669 with 16 home runs in 48 games.
In terms of postseason play, Turner is 12 of 24 with two homers and four stolen bases. Talk about a turnaround. And, in a twist fit for an overly-dramatic Hollywood script, Turner continued his love affair with the entire city of Philadelphia by going yard and putting Atlanta on the brink.
It was then over to Castellanos to push the Braves over the edge, firing his second home run of the day to eliminate the best team in baseball as Atlanta could only melt in huge spots at the plate in the ninth inning.
That was it. The Phillies, for the second-year running, booked their ticket to the NLCS, and it was fitting that Turner and Castellanos, two players who endured their lowest moment of the postseason in Game 2, then went and played huge roles in their team moving a step closer to getting back to the World Series for the second consecutive year.
It was also fitting that Ranger Suárez, who had endured such an up-and-down regular season, tossed his second gem of this series, allowing one run on three hits while striking out two in five innings of work.
This Phillies team is better than it was in 2022. And, with so many weapons up and down that lineup, a starting rotation full of horses and a bullpen that has been electric, especially in this series, it is feasible to think that this is a team that could be on the cusp of something really, really special.
And, if that were to happen, the clutch plays by Turner and Castellanos in Game 4 will be looked upon as an important chapter in the overall story.
As for the Braves, they are clearing their lockers following an early exit in the NLDS for the second year running. Only, it is hard to argue against the fact that this year’s failure will go down as the biggest disappointment. This was a team that won 104 games during the regular season, entered the history books with one of the best offenses we’ve ever seen and they boast the kind of elite-level talent that should be gracing a World Series.
Instead, Atlanta never delivered. What was supposed to be a potent lineup, one that bashes your face in without coming up for air, managed just five hits in Game 4, an elimination game. Spencer Strider, who was unhittable against the Phillies during the regular season, allowed a combined total of four homers and 12 hits in his two starts in this series. Although, I will give Strider some credit, he did show a lot of accountability with this below quote, unlike teammate Ronald Acũna Jr. who slunked off before talking to the press after Game 4. Although, I kind of understand why Acũna Jr. would want to avoid everyone after the rough series he had. He went 2-for-14 with no home runs and no RBIs in four games against the Phillies. Your best players are meant to elevate their game and carry their team on their back in the playoffs. Acũna Jr. didn’t do that, and he wasn’t alone. Too many of his teammates also went cold and collapsed in the biggest moments, and you know have to wonder if this Braves team is really built to succeed in the postseason. Or are they going to be forever known as an all-time great regular season team that consistently crapped the bed in the playoffs? It is certainly looking that way right now.
Anyway, here’s that quote from Strider:
“The people trying to use the playoff format to make an excuse for the results they don’t like are not confronting the real issue,” Strider told reporters. “You’re in control of your focus, your competitiveness, your energy. If having five days means you can’t make the adjustment, you have nobody to blame for yourself.”
- Spencer Strider
That’s how you hold yourself accountable after a gargantuan failure. Strider didn’t do his job in either of his starts, and I respect him for coming out and not trying to put lipstick on a pig. He failed to deliver, as did the Braves, and they now have to own and wear that throughout what will be a very, very long offseason.
And, if you wanted sure-fire proof that the playoffs are an absolute crapshoot, then the Braves flaming out in the Division Series after an historic regular season should suffice.
While the Braves will sit in a dark, cold room reflecting on their shortcomings and failures all winter long, the Phillies will look to fulfill their destiny by taking down another team of destiny in the Diamondbacks and then beating either the Rangers or the Astros in the World Series.
Given how this team is constructed, coupled with the fact that the likes of Harper, Turner and Castellanos are coming up clutch whenever called upon, I’m becoming increasingly more confident that the City Of Brotherly Love will be throwing a party to end all other parties in a couple of weeks.
Okay, we have to make do without any baseball for a couple of days. That sucks, but the postseason is about to get even more interesting so, as I was always taught as a child, good things come to those who wait.
And great things are on the way.
The ALDS gets underway on Sunday night, giving us a Texas showdown for the ages between the Rangers and the Astros. Can Houston make it to their fifth - yes, fifth, you read that right - World Series in seven years, or will Texas continue what has been a playoff run for the ages?
Monday will be even better. We get Game 2 of the ALDS before the NLDS commences. That matchup is one that intrigues me to no end. I’ve been calling the Philadelphia Phillies a team of destiny for weeks, yet the Arizona Diamondbacks no doubt deserve that tag too. My head tells me that the Phillies, who just beat a juggernaut Atlanta Braves team in four games, will make it to the World Series for the second consecutive year but, then again, you’d be pretty mad to bet against the D-Backs at this point given what they’ve done so far this postseason.
Both Championship Series are going to be ultra-compelling to watch play out.
In terms of what’s coming up on the site over the next couple of days, I’ll publish an in-depth ALCS Preview on Saturday, before posting a deep dive into the NLCS on Sunday. I have a couple of other things planned for the weekend content wise, including some exciting news pertaining to the future!*
*Hopefully. We’re just finishing up some final designs for the rebrand, which I hope will be ready for the weekend. If so, expect to see the new look at some point over the next couple of days!
Try and enjoy a couple of days without baseball. The NHL is back, the WNBA Finals is in full swing, as is the NBA preseason, and there’s College Football on Saturday. So plenty of sport to keep you occupied until Sunday.
I’ll see you on Saturday with a full breakdown of what to expect in the American League Championship Series.
Until then…