PHILADELPHIA -- Not every week in the big leagues is going to be like this.
But Phillies rookie Justin Crawford capped an incredible first week in the Majors with a walk-off single to right-center field in the 10th inning of Wednesday’s 6-5 victory in 10 innings over the Nationals at Citizens Bank Park.
Crawford made his MLB debut on Thursday. He got a hit in his first at-bat on the first big league pitch he ever saw.
He got two hits that day, made a great catch on Saturday and has played well overall in the season’s first six games.
Then, he became a hero on Wednesday.
The Phillies’ offense had been ice cold on this homestand, although it couldn’t stay dormant forever. The Phillies had limped into the bottom of the seventh inning trailing 5-1. But J.T. Realmuto hit his first homer of the season in the seventh, and Bryce Harper hit his first homer of the season in the eighth to move the Phils within striking distance.
The Phillies then loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth before Edmundo Sosa stroked an 0-2 sweeper to left field for a game-tying two-run single. Sosa made a great defensive play to double up the automatic runner in the top of the 10th, setting up Crawford’s heroics in the bottom half.