The National League Division Series resumed Sunday. First, the Phillies evened their series against the Mets 1-1 with a wild 7-6 victory in Game 2 at Citizens Bank Park. Bryce Harper ignited the Phillies’ bats, and Nick Castellanos played the hero with a walk-off single after the Phillies and Mets traded blows in the later innings of the game.
Later that night, Fernando Tatis Jr. led the way as the Padres also evened their series with the Dodgers with a 10-2 Game 2 victory that came with its own fair share of fireworks — on and off the field.
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The two ALDS matchups resume Monday, after the Yankees took a 1-0 lead against the Royals and the Guardians came out hot against the Tigers in Game 1s on Saturday.
Phillies 7, Mets 6
Does playoff baseball get any better than this? The Phillies’ win over the Mets in Game 2 on Sunday was an instant classic, capped off by Castellanos’ heroics to walk it off and even the series at one game apiece.
The Mets were in control through the first five innings of the game, with Luis Severino dealing and Mark Vientos having given New York a two-run lead with a homer in the third inning. The boo birds were out at Citizens Bank Park. Pete Alonso added a solo home run in the sixth, but then Philadelphia came alive. Bryce Harper and Castellanos went back-to-back, tying the game 3-3 with home runs of their own.
Nick Castellanos celebrates with his Phillies teammates after a walk-off single against the Mets. (Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
(Rob Tringali via Getty Images)
Brandon Nimmo countered with a solo homer in the seventh before Philadelphia punched back in the eighth on a two-run triple from Bryson Stott and a defensive miscue from Vientos … who then tied it back up with a ninth-inning home run.
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But the Phillies weren’t done, as they put together a two-out, ninth-inning comeback after back-to-back walks by Trea Turner and Harper. Castellanos’ walk-off hit put an exclamation point on a stunning Game 2.
The series shifts to New York for Game 3 on Tuesday.
Padres 10, Dodgers 2
En route to a 10-2 win over the Dodgers in Game 2 of the NLDS, the Padres set a franchise postseason record with six home runs, including two from Fernando Tatis Jr. And while that sounds dramatic enough, there was plenty more throughout the game.
In the first inning, Mookie Betts appeared to hit a home run — until Jurickson Profar revealed he’d actually caught it by jumping into the stands to make a play. Profar taunted Dodgers fans and even fooled the Fox broadcast. The saga continued in the seventh, when Dodgers fans, according to Yahoo Sports’ Russell Dorsey, threw two baseballs at Profar in the middle of the inning, causing a game delay.
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But the Padres kept their foot on the gas behind a solid start from Yu Darvish, who threw seven innings, allowed three hits and one run, struck out three and walked two. It was also a quiet night for Shohei Ohtani, who went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
Game 3 is set for Tuesday at Petco Park in San Diego.
Here’s a look at how Sunday’s action shook out: