Phillies 8, Pirates 4: Blown call sets stage for 'tough' loss
Alexander Canario's three-run home run, his team's first in nearly a month, momentarily flipped the script on a powerful Philadelphia lineup, but the Pirates, no thanks to a blown call, folded and fell to the Phillies,8-4, tonight here at Citizens Bank Park.
The visitors led, 3-1, entering the seventh inning, thanks to a solid start from Andrew Heaney, but Tommy Pham dropped a pop fly in left field to help the Phillies load the bases, after which Ryan Borucki walked Kyle Schwarber, then hit Nick Castellanos, after which Tanner Rainey walked J.T. Realmuto, then gave up a sacrifice fly to Alec Bohm. Just like that, it was 5-3.
Within that sequence, a Borucki walk to Bryce Harper was hotly disputed by Don Kelly, and he'd be ejected for the second time in his weeklong tenure as manager. Kelly felt Harper had offered at the pitch -- and he'd be supported by replays -- but third base umpire John Libka, the subject of Kelly's ire, ruled he held up.
"That's tough," Kelly replied when I asked why he responded as he did. "That call, I felt, was a huge point in that game, and I have their back. I have our guys’ back. These guys are going out there, competing, battling, and I didn’t think it was something ... that call was a big point that changed the game, and I’m going to have our guys’ back."
• Thenextone: Phillies, Saturday, 6:05 p.m., Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia
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THE ASYLUM
Dejan Kovacevic
11:19 pm - 05.16.2025PhiladelphiaPhillies 8, Pirates 4: Blown call sets stage for 'tough' loss
Alexander Canario's three-run home run, his team's first in nearly a month, momentarily flipped the script on a powerful Philadelphia lineup, but the Pirates, no thanks to a blown call, folded and fell to the Phillies, 8-4, tonight here at Citizens Bank Park.
The visitors led, 3-1, entering the seventh inning, thanks to a solid start from Andrew Heaney, but Tommy Pham dropped a pop fly in left field to help the Phillies load the bases, after which Ryan Borucki walked Kyle Schwarber, then hit Nick Castellanos, after which Tanner Rainey walked J.T. Realmuto, then gave up a sacrifice fly to Alec Bohm. Just like that, it was 5-3.
Within that sequence, a Borucki walk to Bryce Harper was hotly disputed by Don Kelly, and he'd be ejected for the second time in his weeklong tenure as manager. Kelly felt Harper had offered at the pitch -- and he'd be supported by replays -- but third base umpire John Libka, the subject of Kelly's ire, ruled he held up.
"That's tough," Kelly replied when I asked why he responded as he did. "That call, I felt, was a huge point in that game, and I have their back. I have our guys’ back. These guys are going out there, competing, battling, and I didn’t think it was something ... that call was a big point that changed the game, and I’m going to have our guys’ back."
• The highlights: From Major League Baseball ...
• The manager: Kelly's full media session ...
• The data: Boxscore | Statistics | Advanced
• The standings: 15-30, fifth, Central Division
• The trends: Lost 14 of 18, now 3-4 with Kelly
• The next one: Phillies, Saturday, 6:05 p.m., Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia
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