The Phillies and Padres have been in the postseason for what feels like a month now, but they still haven’t played a postseason game at home, with players lining up on the base lines and bunting hung all around the perimeter of the ballpark. That seems weird. It’s also about to change.
The National League Division Series will shift to the home of the underdogs for Games 3 and 4, with everything all tied up. The favorites aren’t nervous. Well, they’re not that nervous. Maybe medium-nervous. But they got this. Probably.
Here’s what happened on Wednesday night.
Atlanta vs. Philadelphia: Braves’ sixth-inning rally the difference in a pitcher’s duel
The Braves defeated the Phillies, 3-0, in a pitcher’s duel, to even up the NLDS at 1-1. Everyone likes a pitcher’s duel, right? Baseball purists can’t get enough of them. Except, hold on a second. Not all pitcher’s duels are created equal
If you don’t follow ESPN’s Clinton Yates on Twitter, you should. One of his most enduring and endearing bits is a game he calls “Snag, Grab or Stab?” A fielder (or fan) makes a great play, and your job is to describe it. Snag, grab or stab?
With full credit given, it’s time to bastardize this idea and apply it to pitcher’s duels. Because they’re not always Spahn and Marichal. John Smoltz was the color commentator for FOX Sports for this game, and he knows what it’s like to participate in a legendary display of postseason pitching. But those are the exceptions, not the rule. Sometimes pitcher’s duels can be a total drag.
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