J.T. Realmuto lifted a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning to drive in the decisive run, sealing a 6-5 comeback win for the Philadelphia Phillies over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night at Dodger Stadium. The victory clinched the Phillies’ second straight National League East title in a dramatic opening game of a series between two division leaders.
Sportsbooks listed the Dodgers as slight favorites at -120 entering the contest, with the Phillies priced at +100. The over/under was set at 9 runs, and the game pushed beyond that total with 11 combined.
The winning rally began with Harrison Bader starting the 10th on second base under extra-inning rules. After Kyle Schwarber lined out, Bryce Harper drew an intentional walk. Bader and Harper executed a double steal, putting both runners in scoring position. Realmuto followed with a fly ball to right field that plated Bader.
Los Angeles threatened in the bottom half of the inning. Mookie Betts began on second, and David Robertson, working in relief for Philadelphia, issued an intentional walk to Freddie Freeman before walking Alex Call to load the bases. Robertson held firm, inducing Max Muncy to ground out to first to end the game.
The contest featured several momentum swings. Harper had briefly put Philadelphia ahead in the eighth inning with a leadoff home run off Alex Vesia, giving the Phillies a 5-4 edge. The Dodgers had tied it in the ninth when Andy Pages hit a solo home run off closer Jhoan Duran.
Philadelphia initially built its power through lead. Schwarber launched his 53rd home run of the season in the first inning off opener Anthony Banda, while Weston Wilson delivered a two-run homer in the seventh to put the Phillies in front 4-3. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Schwarber’s blast was his 22nd against a left-handed pitcher this season, tying Stan Musial’s 1949 mark and Matt Olson’s 2021 total for the most by a left-handed hitter against lefty pitching.
The Dodgers stayed in the game with timely hitting. Betts produced two sacrifice flies, one in the third inning to tie the score at 1-1 and another in the fifth to extend the Dodgers’ lead to 3-1. Muncy added his first home run since August 11 to open the fifth inning. Later, Betts tied the game at 4-4 in the seventh with a two-run shot off Orion Kerkering.
Dodgers starter Emmet Sheehan delivered 5 2/3 innings without allowing a hit, exiting after giving up a leadoff double to Otto Kemp in the seventh. Reliever Jack Dreyer allowed an RBI single to Bryson Stott before yielding Wilson’s long home run to center field.
Phillies starter Ranger Suárez worked six innings, giving up three runs on seven hits while striking out five and walking two. Betts and teammate Shohei Ohtani each extended their on-base streaks to 20 games, tying for the second-longest active run in the majors.
The Phillies improved to 12-3 in games against Ohtani’s clubs since June 2022, led by Harper’s contributions. The series continues Tuesday with left-hander Cristopher Sánchez (13-5, 2.57 ERA) starting for Philadelphia against Ohtani (1-1, 3.75 ERA), who will take the mound for Los Angeles.
