Phillies vs Nationals Recap: Hill's 9th-inning Heroics Beat Washington

The Phillies walked into Nationals Park on Wednesday night still buzzing from an amazing 14-9 win the night before. Philadelphia's bats had exploded in the ninth inning. Now they looked to keep the momentum rolling against Washington. The Nationals came out swinging right away. Luis Garcia Jr. crushed a fastball from Aaron Nola and sent it flying 412 feet to center field for a solo home run. Jorbit Vivas followed up two pitches later with another blast over the wall in right-center. The Nationals suddenly led 2-0 before the Phillies even stepped up to bat. Philadelphia was down early, but this team doesn't quit. The Phillies had won five of their last ten games. You could feel they weren't done yet.

In the fourth inning, the Phillies finally answered back. Bryson Stott ripped a double to the right side that scored Brandon Marsh from first base. Then J.T. Realmuto lifted a sacrifice fly to center, bringing Alec Bohm home from third. Gabriel Rincones Jr. came through with a clutch single up the middle to score Stott, giving Philadelphia a 3-2 lead. The momentum had completely flipped. By the sixth inning, the Nationals struck back with a big swing of their own. Curtis Mead smashed a slider from Jonathan Bowlan and sent it sailing 394 feet to left field. That two-run homer tied the game at 4-4. The score stayed locked there as both teams battled through the middle innings. Neither team was backing down.

The game stayed tied at 4-4 heading into the ninth inning. Both teams had put together great pitching performances. Now it came down to who could score one more run. The Phillies' closer Jhoan Duran was ready to shut down the Nationals' bats. But first, Philadelphia needed to answer. Derek Hill stepped up to the plate with the game on the line. Richard Lovelady threw a four-seam fastball that came in hard at 92 miles per hour. Hill was waiting for it. He swung and connected perfectly. The ball rocketed toward right-center field and kept climbing higher and higher. It cleared the wall 382 feet away. Hill's two-run homer exploded into the night sky. Suddenly Philadelphia led 5-4. Kyle Schwarber, who had missed the last two games with back tightness, pinch-hit earlier and drew a walk to help set up the heroics. The Phillies had snatched victory away.

The Nationals got one last chance to tie or win in the bottom of the ninth. Jhoan Duran took the mound with one thing on his mind: get three outs. The electric closer was already known as one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball. His fastball could hit 100 miles per hour. His splitter made hitters look silly. Duran struck out three batters in that inning without allowing a single hit. The Nationals couldn't catch up. The final score read Philadelphia 5, Washington 4. The Phillies improved to 44-36 with the victory. Washington fell to 41-40 and lost their first game after winning six of their last ten. This win kept Philadelphia's winning streak alive at one game. The Phillies' pitching staff had delivered when it mattered most. Derek Hill became the hero with his clutch ninth-inning blast. Philadelphia's rotation, led by Aaron Nola tonight, plus closer Duran showed why they're one of baseball's best.