Philadelphia, PA—-In front of 37,469 fans in Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Phillies staged a dramatic comeback to defeat the Washington Nationals 6-5 in extra innings on Wednesday.
The Phillies found themselves in a deep hole late, trailing 5-1 heading into the seventh inning. Momentum began to shift when J.T. Realmuto and Bryce Harper each launched solo home runs, cutting the deficit to two. Still down to their final outs in the ninth, Edmundo Sosa delivered in the clutch, ripping a two-out, bases-loaded single to tie the game at five.
The comeback set the stage for rookie Justin Crawford, who continued his impressive start to the season. With runners on the corners in the bottom of the 10th, Crawford lined a game-winning single to right field off Cole Henry, sealing the victory. The hit capped a three-hit night for the young outfielder, who is already making an impact after debuting on Opening Day.
Defensively, Sosa played hero as well. In the top of the 10th, he made a leaping grab on a line drive from CJ Abrams and quickly turned it into a double play, erasing the automatic runner at second base. The heads-up play secured the win for reliever Jhoan Duran.
Washington had controlled much of the game early behind a solid outing from Cade Cavalli, who allowed just one run over six innings while striking out three. The Nationals appeared to take firm command in the seventh when Abrams crushed a three-run homer to extend the lead. Contributions also came from Daylen Lile, Brady House, and Joey Wiemer, who each collected two hits, with Wiemer crossing the plate twice.
Philadelphia starter Cristopher Sánchez was effective despite limited run support, giving up one run across 5 1/3 innings while striking out seven.
The Phillies struck first in the opening inning when Trea Turner came around to score on a double by Kyle Schwarber. The Nationals answered in the second inning, capitalizing on walks and a defensive miscue to even the score. Later, Drew Millas added an RBI single in the sixth to help keep Washington in front.
Both Realmuto and Harper’s home runs marked their first of the season, igniting the Phillies’ late surge.
Looking ahead, both teams have Thursday off. The Nationals will return home to open a series against the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers, while the Phillies hit the road for a matchup in Denver against the Colorado Rockies. Aaron Nola is slated to start for Philadelphia opposite former Phillie Michael Lorenzen.
