WASHINGTON – Thanks to a former Nationals hero, the Phillies acted out the same script again Thursday night with another dramatic 10-5 comeback win over Washington at Nationals Park.
In the top of the ninth, Bryce Harper crushed a two-run opposite-field home run – his 18th of the season – off Nationals reliever Gus Varland to break a 5-5 tie, and the Phillies completed their third straight ninth-inning fireworks display in the nation’s capital.
The Phillies are the first team in Major League history to hit a go-ahead home run in the ninth inning of three consecutive games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Harper, Brandon Marsh and Derek Hill all hit home runs in the game. It was Hill’s second in as many nights, both coming in the ninth inning. The Phillies poured it on with five runs in the ninth and have scored 15 runs in the final frame over the past three games.
The Phillies trailed 5-0 after five innings on a rare rough night for starter Cristopher Sánchez.
Then the offense got to work again.
Marsh began the comeback with a two-run shot in the sixth and finished with three RBIs, picking up his teammate Sánchez as the Phillies erased a deficit for their third straight night in the series.
The red-hot Marsh cranked his 12th homer of the season off Nationals starter Cade Cavalli to cut the deficit to 5-2.
Marsh went 9-for-17 (.529) in the four-game series with one double, three homers, six runs scored and six RBIs.
In the seventh, the Phillies took advantage of four walks by Nationals relievers Mitchell Parker and Clayton Beeter to score three and tie the score at 5-5.
Bases-loaded walks to Harper and Marsh made it 5-4. Alec Bohm’s fielder’s choice groundout to second base scored Kyle Schwarber to even it up.
The Phillies are 45-36 as they take aim at the first-place Braves, rolling to a 19-9 record since May 25. They have also dominated the Nationals the past five seasons, going 53-20 since July 29, 2021, outscoring the Nats 458-303 (+155 run differential).