NLCS: Mike Clevinger and Padres Are Overwhelmed in Philadelphia

For the home team, there would be no repeat of another infamous Game 4 on Pattison Ave., against Toronto in 1993. That night, in a swirling, misty drizzle at Veterans Stadium, the Blue Jays won the highest-scoring game in World Series history, a 15-14 crusher for the Phillies, who served up six runs in the eighth.

This time, the visitors lacked the same stamina. After their early outburst off starter Bailey Falter, the Padres managed only a two-run homer by Juan Soto the rest of the way.

“We had a good first inning and obviously we couldn’t hold it,” said Manny Machado, who homered off Falter. “Clev went out there and did his best, just couldn’t get us back in the dugout. Overall, I think we did what we wanted to do today, we just fell short. They had a really good game and they outhit us.”

The top five hitters in the Phillies’ lineup — Schwarber, Hoskins, Realmuto, Harper and Nick Castellanos — went 9 for 18 with three walks and seven extra-base hits. And with every smash to the gap or rocket to the bleachers, they sent the crowd deeper into delirium.

Especially at playoff time, Phillies fans make it a personal responsibility to impact the game. The team is 20-9 in the postseason at Citizens Bank Park, where the fans — 45,467 on Saturday — spend almost all game waving towels and stretching the limits of human lung capacity.

“You try to focus on not letting the crowd get to you,” said the Padres reliever Nick Martinez, who managed three perfect innings after Clevinger. “You know they’re going to be loud, you know they’re going to be rooting against you. You start taking your mind too much into the future, you might lose it.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/23/sports/baseball/padres-nlcs.html