PHILADELPHIA – The personal assembly happened two weeks in the past in St. Louis, the birthplace of this magical Philadelphia Phillies postseason run, the place they had been warned there’d be nights like this.
They had been instructed they might have video games wherein they stunk up the place. They might have moments of glory, moments of failure. Lose video games they need to win. Win video games they need to lose.
Properly, on Friday evening, in entrance of a frenzied sellout crowd of 44,607, they went by means of the entire vary of feelings, and survived, profitable 4-2 over the San Diego Padres to take a 2 video games to 1 lead within the best-of-seven Nationwide League Championship Collection.
Nobody symbolized their evening of craziness greater than Phillies second baseman Jean Segura, who’s taking part in in his first postseason in his 11-year profession, spanning 1,328 video games, essentially the most common season video games performed with out making the playoffs by any energetic participant in baseball, and had a recreation of biblical proportions.
He giveth, and he taketh away.
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One minute, you’re seeing him blow a routine double-play ball, and apologizing to Phillies starter Ranger Suarez.
The subsequent, he’s spiking his bat into the bottom after getting an enormous go-ahead, two-run single.
Seconds later, he’s dropping his head after getting instantly picked off first base.
And his wild night concludes with him making a blinding, diving cease on Ha-Seong Kim’s sharp groundball to finish the seventh inning, leaping up within the air, flexing his arms, and dancing off the sector, almost breaking the fingers of everybody who’s courageous sufficient to high-five him.
“I imply, I am fired up,’’ Segura mentioned. “I do not know clarify that, but it surely’s like Goku, the little Goku, like one thing, like hearth inside my physique. Like I simply wish to get it out. Like explosive. Like, ahhh.
“If you do not get emotional with 45,000 individuals within the stands, you are taking part in the flawed sport.’’
There can be nights like these, Phillies supervisor Rob Thomson warned his workforce, throughout the postseason. The good groups stand up and get well from it. The weak groups soften down. If you happen to’re going to get to the World Collection, you higher be robust sufficient to shake it off.
“We had that dialog earlier than the playoffs began,’’ Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto mentioned. “We simply had a workforce assembly and mentioned, “Hear guys, one thing goes to go flawed. We’re going to blow a recreation. We’re going to lose a recreation. We’re going to make an error. We’re going to strike out in a giant spot. One thing goes to go flawed within the postseason, it occurs to all people.
“We simply need to put it behind us and know that on the finish of the day we’re going to belief the man behind us, and we’re going to win that recreation that day.’’
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Segura endured each emotion of that in a single single inning, and lived to inform himself, going from a goat to a hero to a goat to a hero.
The drama started within the fourth inning. The Phillies had been clinging to a 1-0 lead after Kyle Schwarber’s leadoff homer and Phillies starter Ranger Suarez induced what seemed to be a simple double-play grounder to shortstop Bryson Stott. Stott flipped the ball shortly to Segura for the primary out, just for Segura to drop it. Second-base umpire Doug Eddings initially dominated that Segura bought at the least one out, dropping the ball on the trade, just for the decision to be overturned.
So, as an alternative of an inning-ending double play, one run scored, runners had been on first and second, and there was nonetheless only one out.
“That is the play that I in all probability made 3,000 instances in my life,’’ Segura mentioned, “however for some purpose I missed it. … As a participant, you study out of your mistake, and also you by no means put your head down. Simply stick with it, proceed to play the sport as a result of you do not know how the sport’s going to finish.’’
Segura walked to the mound, first baseman Rhys Hoskins mentioned, and uttered the phrases: “’Hey Ranger, give me one other one. Instantly.’ That is simply the type of mentality you need to have, and it’s superior to see Jean come by means of.’’
“We’re all going to make errors,’’ Segura says. “We’re human. …I really feel actually dangerous after I make that mistake, however I do not let that hassle me. I hold taking part in the sport the appropriate manner. I hold hustling. I hold diving for baseballs. That is the best way you wish to deal with the error, not let it get to your head.
“As an alternative of, ‘Coach, I am right here. I am scared for them to hit it to me. I am not prepared.’
“No, let it go by. …Perhaps I get a chance later within the recreation to win the sport, or possibly do one thing particular tonight.’’
Properly, redemption was simply across the nook. The Phillies rallied within the backside of the fourth with runners on second and third with two outs. Segura walked to the plate.
“In his at-bat,’’ Realmuto mentioned, “we had been really screaming from the dugout. We’ve seen it earlier than. He pushes that button.’’
Padres starter Joe Musgrove shortly bought forward with two strikes, threw a ball within the dust that Segura laid off. He fouled off a 93-mph fastball the subsequent pitch. Musgrove, understanding Segura can be aggressive, threw a slider, low and away, barely above the bottom.
Segura swung anyway, and hit a comfortable fly ball to heart discipline. He watched the ball drop. Spiked his bat. And ran to first base.
“It is crucial once you’ve bought gamers that may deal with the strain with two outs, with the sport on the road,’’ Segura says, “and be capable to come by means of. I imply, that is the sport I actually love.’’
The truth that it was virtually an unhittable pitch, the place few hitters dare to go, made no distinction.
“We had been all making a joke within the dugout,’’ Realmuto mentioned, “that I can’t consider they threw him a chase breaking ball. Not many individuals can put a bat on a pitch like that.’’
And that spike?
“After we see the bat spike,’’ Realmuto mentioned, “there’s often some anger behind it. The bat flip? Guys aren’t too upset.’’
It was three innings later within the seventh, with the Phillies main 4-2, when the Padres threatened once more. They’d a runner on first base when Kim hit a bullet headed in direction of right-center for a doable RBI, bringing Juan Soto to the plate. Segura dove to his left, snagged it, bought up, threw to first, after which placed on a present that had the group dancing of their seats.
Segura threw his proper hand into the air. Kicked his proper leg up in direction of the sky. He jumped up, got here down, flexed his muscle tissue, and screamed, “Let’s go!’’
“I felt like flexing with him,’’ Realmuto mentioned.
Six outs later, and the Phillies had their victory, leaving them simply two victories away from reaching the World Collection for the primary time since 2009.
Strain?
Uh-uh.
“The way in which I deal with strain since I used to be a little bit child, I like it ….’’ Segura says. “It’s simply the best way we deal with the strain in Dominican Republic. Even after we play winter ball, we have guys within the stands, “Hey, once you get out, we will kill you. We’ll do one thing dangerous to you.’ It is simply the best way we play the sport on the market.
“In comparison with right here, once you come right here, dude, it is a utterly totally different sort of recreation. I believe the strain, once you come from the D.R., it is nothing.’’
So, whereas your entire metropolis of Philadelphia could also be freaking out, and his workforce proprietor saying he can’t sleep with the stress, you actually consider Segura goes to return unnerved understanding that he’s taking part in essentially the most vital video games of his life?
“I waited 11 years for the chance,’’ Segura mentioned. “I am not going to return. I’ll do the most effective I can to proceed to grind it, to proceed to assist the ball membership, and produce one thing optimistic each single day.
“I simply waited too a few years for the chance, and I do not wish to let it go by.’’
Humorous, your entire Phillies group can say the identical, going 11 years with out reaching the postseason, and 4,388 days with out profitable an NLCS house recreation, courting again to Oct. 17, 2010.
They’re uninterested in seeing the highlights and reminiscences of their previous glory years, profitable the World Collection in 2008, and earlier than that in 1980. They wish to create their very own historical past. They wish to be the mannequin of perseverance and resiliency.
“We’ve talked about all of it 12 months,’’ Hoskins mentioned. “Bodily errors are going to occur on the sector, however good groups discover a approach to take in these, whether or not that’s the subsequent inning, later within the recreation, however we bought good gamers to do this, and we lean on one another, particularly when issues don’t go nicely. ..
“I really feel like we’ve had a couple of of these all year long. I’m changing into much less and fewer stunned with us arising with massive hits, or simply discovering methods to win video games that we don’t really feel like we’re alleged to. It’s what we’ve performed all 12 months.
“It’s bizarre. It’s wacky. It’s stunning.’’
It’s Philly baseball, 2022 fashion.
Comply with Bob Nightengale on Twitter @Bnightengale
