Bryson Stott hit the second grand slam in Philadelphia Phillies postseason history, and Aaron Nola pitched seven shutout innings in a dominant performance. The Phillies defeated the Miami Marlins 7-1 in their NL Wild Card Series on Wednesday night and advanced to the NL Division Series against the Atlanta Braves.
J.T. Realmuto also hit a home run as the Phillies secured a two-game sweep over the Marlins. The NL champion Phillies, who finished third in the NL East last season and beat the Braves in the NLDS, will now face the Braves in a best-of-five series starting on Saturday in Atlanta. The Braves, who won the NL East with 104 wins this season, clinched their sixth straight division title last month in Philadelphia.
With the win, the Phillies set up another exciting postseason run as they continue their quest for a World Series title.
In Wednesday’s game, Bryson Stott provided a thrilling moment when he hit a grand slam in the sixth inning, extending the Phillies’ lead to 7-0. Aaron Nola followed up with an outstanding performance on the mound, shutting down the Marlins’ offense with the support of 46,000 cheering fans at Citizens Bank Park.
Nola, who is eligible for free agency after the World Series, proved his worth as a postseason ace by maneuvering through tough situations and shutting down Miami’s threats. The Marlins, inexperienced in postseason play, made some mistakes that the Phillies capitalized on.
The Phillies’ offense stitched together runs against Marlins starter Braxton Garrett, taking advantage of opportunities to score. Their strong performance at home continued as they improved their postseason record at Citizens Bank Park to 24-11, the highest winning percentage for any team in any park in the postseason.
J.T. Realmuto’s fourth career postseason home run and Kyle Schwarber’s RBI double contributed to the Phillies’ victory. Josh Bell’s RBI single in the ninth inning provided the lone run for the Marlins.
The Phillies’ sweep of the Marlins in the Wild Card Series puts them in exclusive company, joining the Minnesota Twins, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Texas Rangers as the only teams to sweep all four Wild Card Series. The expanded playoffs in the last two years have seen seven sweeps out of eight Wild Card Series played.
Next up, the Phillies will face the Marlins again in a spring training game on February 24.
