October 1, 2022 – Nats 13, Phillies 4 [Game 1 of split double-header]

https://www.mlb.com/gameday/phillies-vs-nationals/2022/10/01/662572#game_state=final,lock_state=final,game_tab=wrap,game=662572

 

Time: 2:58

Announced attendance: 29,808

 

Nationals starting pitcher Aníbal Sánchez had pitched reasonably well in September, while Phillies starter Kyle Gibson had been mostly terrible. This afternoon saw Gibson live down to his previous month’s numbers, while Sánchez pitched well enough to win, in a game where it would have been hard to tell which team was in contention for the playoffs and which had the worst record in baseball.

 

The Phillies quickly jumped out in front when slow-footed LF Kyle Schwarber tripled (!) to lead off the game and was credited with his 10^th stolen base of the season (!!!) two outs later, after Bryce Harper deliberately wandered off first base, stopping midway to second in order to bait a throw from rookie Nats catcher Riley Adams. The home team quickly tied the game in the bottom of the first before plating 5 runs off of Gibson in the second, an inning climaxed by a Joey Meneses 3-run double that 3B Alec Bohm probably should have snared.

 

The visitors briefly made things interesting in the top of the 4^th, getting 4 hits and 3 runs off Sánchez, but the rest of the game belonged to the Nats. Meneses blasted a leadoff homer in the bottom of the 5^th to complete the damage against Gibson, who did manage to put up a scoreless 6^th. The Phillies bullpen fared no better, giving up 3 runs each in the 7^th and 8^th to turn the afternoon into a rout, with infielder Nick Maton finally taking the mound to record the last out. Meanwhile, Hunter Harvey and Andrés Machado each turned in two scoreless innings behind Sánchez.

 

The remnants of Hurricane Ian were very much in evidence throughout the day. It was raining hard while I was driving down I-270, although I wound up not needing my umbrella when walking to Rasa for lunch and then on to Nats Park, which I entered around noon. It did start raining shortly after I got there, with sufficient wind that I had to climb to the top row of Section 416 to find an available covered seating area without the wind blowing in some of the rain. As a result, the 1:05 start was delayed about 40 minutes. Once the game got underway, however, there were only a couple hints of rain. I was glad that I had worn my medium-weight jacket, but I didn’t feel the need for the gloves I had brought along.