By BERNIE WILSON, AP Sports Author
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Bryce Harper homered again, Kyle Schwarber hit a jaw-dropping, 488-foot drive and Zack Wheeler was sensible in throwing one-hit ball for seven innings to steer the Philadelphia Phillies over the San Diego Padres 2-0 Tuesday night to open the all-wild card NL Championship Series.
Wheeler and two relievers combined on a one-hitter for Philadelphia. The Phillies managed just three hits off Yu Darvish and the San Diego bullpen — the combined 4 hits matched the fewest ever in a postseason game.
The Phillies will attempt to take a 2-0 lead after they send Aaron Nola to mound to oppose Blake Snell on Wednesday afternoon. Nola is ready to pitch against his brother, Padres catcher Austin Nola.
The Padres, who eliminated the 111-win Los Angeles Dodgers within the NLDS, had only 4 baserunners, including a single by Wil Myers within the fifth. Still, they’d a likelihood to win within the ninth against José Alvarado.
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Jurickson Profar drew a one-out walk and Juan Soto reached when third baseman Alec Bohm made an errant throwing trying for a force. Manny Machado flied out and Alvarado struck out Josh Bell for the save, looking skyward and clapping after getting the ultimate out.
Harper, trying to succeed in his first World Series, hit a high-arcing, opposite-field shot into the primary row in left field with one out within the fourth. It was the fourth home run this postseason for Harper, who was playing in San Diego for the primary time since his left thumb was broken when he was hit by a pitch by Blake Snell on June 25, sidelining him for 2 months.
Harper homered in his third straight postseason game. The 2-time NL MVP, who won the award last yr, has hit nine home runs in 26 profession postsaseason games.
Schwarber’s incredible shot on Darvish’s first pitch of the sixth had an exit velocity of 119.7 mph and was the primary to succeed in the precise field upper deck at Petco Park, which opened in 2004. It was the farthest in his profession and the farthest at Petco within the Statcast Era and gave the Phillies a 2-0 lead.
Schwarber raised his right arm as he rounded first base and Harper stood within the dugout along with his mouth agape in amazement.
They were the newest impressive home runs for the Phillies, who’re back within the playoffs for the primary time since 2011. The last won the World Series in 2008. They’ve hit eight homers in seven games this postseason.
Harper joined Gary Matthews (1983) because the only players in franchise history to homer in three straight postseason games in the identical yr. Harper hit one homer within the wild-card series win at St. Louis and two in going 8 for 16 because the Phillies eliminated the defending World Series champion Atlanta Braves within the NLDS.
Rhys Hoskins had an epic bat spike on a monster homer against the Braves, and J.T. Realmuto became the primary catcher in postseason history to hit an inside-the-park home run.
The Phillies at times stunned Petco Park, where a sellout crowd of 44,826 was amped up for the Padres’ first NLCS appearance since 1998. It was 78 degrees at first pitch at 5:04 p.m., a giant change from Saturday night’s rainstorm in the course of the Padres’ 5-3 clinching win within the NLDS.
But Wheeler had he Padres totally off balance, allowing only a one-out walk to Juan Soto in the primary after which retiring 12 straight batters until Myers singled with one out within the fifth. Wheeler then retired his final eight batters. He struck out eight and walked one on 83 pitches.
Seranthony Dominguez pitched an ideal eighth.
Darvish took the loss, allowing two runs and three hits in seven innings while striking out seven and walking one.
Phillies backup C Garrett Stubbs, who played at San Diego’s Torrey Pines High after which USC, is in his third LCS, attempting to get to his second straight World Series. That is his second LCS at Petco Park. He caught the ultimate inning of the Houston Astros’ Game 7 loss to Tampa Bay within the 2020 ALCS within the San Diego bubble. He caught the ninth inning of Game 6 of Houston’s World Series loss to Atlanta last yr. Stubbs was traded to the Phillies within the offseason. Stubbs said he left 23 tickets for family and friends.
REMEMBERING JERRY COLEMAN
The 4 Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornets within the pregame flyover were from the VMFA-323 Death Rattlers, considered one of the squadrons the late Latest York Yankees second baseman and Padres broadcaster Jerry Coleman flew with in World War II and Korea. Coleman also managed the Padres in 1980.
Phillies RHP Aaron Nola (11-13, 3.25 ERA regular season; 2-0, 0.00 postseason) and Padres LHP Blake Snell (8-10, 3.38 ERA regular season; 1-0, 3.12 postseason) are scheduled to begin Game 2 Wednesday afternoon. Nola’s brother Austin is the Padres’ catcher. Austin Nola’s RBI single off his younger brother carried the Padres to a 1-0 win against the Phillies at Petco Park on June 24.
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