Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Chase Utley knows how to deliver for the team in a big spot. In the 14th inning of Thursday’s game against the Miami Marlins, he sent an 0-2 pitch 387 feet into the right field stands at Citizens Bank Park to give the Phillies a 5-3 walk-off win.
“Right man at the right spot,” Phillies’ manager Ryne Sandberg said in his postgame press conference on MLB.com. “He’s a grinder, three RBI on the game. He scrapped out a hit and the big shot at the end.”
Utley also knotted the game at two with an RBI base hit to center in the fifth inning.
Phillies’ starter Cole Hamels went seven innings for a 10th straight outing. Prior to Thursday, he had an MLB-best 1.66 ERA in that stretch, but has only won two of those games, as the offense has failed to provide run support. On Thursday, he allowed three runs, all on solo homers, reports The Associated Press.
After Hamels left the game, six pitchers out of the bullpen teamed to throw seven scoreless innings and yield only three hits.
“The bullpen was great, seven scoreless innings, three hits,” Sandberg said. “Really kept the game in check and gave us the chance for Chase’s big swing at the end.”
The Marlins built a 2-0 lead with home runs by catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia and right fielder Giancarlo Stanton in the third and fourth innings.
After the Phillies tied the game at two with runs in the fourth and fifth innings, Miami left fielder Marcell Ozuno gave the Marlins a 3-2 lead with a solo shot in the seventh.
Philadelphia shortstop Jimmy Rollins even the game at three when he reached first on an error by Marlins’ first baseman Jeff Baker. Left fielder Dominic Brown scored on the play.
The Phillies failed to end the game in the 10th, 11th and 12th innings. In those three innings, they left a total of seven men on base, including leaving the bases loaded in the 10th, according to ESPN.
The two teams split the four-game series.