Cal Stevenson shows he belongs with Phillies in win over the Mets: ‘It feels good to contribute’

A year ago, Cal Stevenson was questioning if he belonged in baseball.

The outfielder bounced around the majors last season and was designated for assignment by three teams. He stuck around in the Phillies organization after clearing waivers in June last season, and has grinded in triple-A Lehigh Valley ever since. A week ago, Stevenson was recalled to the big-league club after Austin Hays hit the injured list.

When Stevenson hit the game-winning double in the seventh inning of the Phillies’ 6-4 victory over the Mets on Saturday, he wasn’t questioning if he belonged. When he made a game-saving catch an inning later to rob J.D. Martinez of a home run over the center field fence, he wasn’t questioning if he belonged.

Bryce Harper, who had a huge night of his own with his first two home runs since Aug. 9, told him as much.

“If you can take those at bats in that situation, you can take any at-bat in your career,” Harper told him. “I mean, in that moment ... 40,000-plus people. Big situation, big moment.”

Stevenson and Harper led the charge in a come-from-behind win over the Mets that reduced the Phillies’ magic number to clinch the National League East to seven.

“It feels good to contribute this late in the year to this team,” Stevenson said. “We’re fighting for playoffs, for one seed and best record in baseball. And obviously I don’t get a whole lot of opportunities. So when I do get in there, you want to make the most of them. ...

“I think that’s what makes me feel so good about being in that situation and coming through. I can’t even explain how it feels and what it means to be a part of it.”

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The Phillies only managed three hits off Mets starter Luis Severino, but two of those were Harper homers. He used the entire field to help the Phillies overcome an early four-run deficit.

Harper ended his drought on the first pitch he saw in the fourth inning, sending a changeup 397 feet to left-center. In his next plate appearance, Harper worked a seven-pitch at-bat and crushed a sweeper 386 feet to right-center.

“Those guys, those big-time power guys, they come in bunches,” said manager Rob Thomson of the homers. “So I feel like a bunch are going to come, and they’re going to come pretty soon. And he’s been getting his hits. Forty doubles. And so he’s had a lot of productions, but he just hadn’t hit a home run in a while. But he’ll hit home runs.”

Severino exited the game after the sixth inning. Bryson Stott and J.T. Realmuto strung together back-to-back singles in the seventh, before Stevenson brought them home with his double and gave the Phillies their first lead. They tacked on an insurance run the next inning on an RBI double from Realmuto.

The late surge was enough to overcome a shaky start by Phillies left-hander Kolby Allard. Thomson said pregame he hoped to get five or six good innings out of him on Saturday. But Allard, the latest pitcher to get a shot in the fifth-starter spot, was removed after the third inning with the Phillies trailing by four, and his pitch count already up to 67.

Allard’s command has been one of his strengths this season, particularly during his four previous appearances with the big-league club. But he struggled to locate the strike zone on Saturday, often falling behind in counts. He threw only nine first-pitch strikes out of 17 batters faced.

“[Allard was] erratic, to tell you the truth,” Thomson said. “He grinded, he fought. His fastball was up and arm side a lot, but he grinded.”

After only allowing two walks in his previous 18 innings with the Phillies, Allard issued three in a row in the first inning to force in a run. The damage could have been even worse, but a flyout left the bases loaded.

The Mets capitalized on a double, single, throwing error from third baseman Kody Clemens, and a two-run triple by Starling Marte to tack on three more runs in the third inning. Thomson said he hasn’t discussed whether Allard will make another start in the Phillies’ fifth spot.

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The Phillies bullpen shut out the Mets the rest of the way. Taijuan Walker took over for Allard in the fourth. He pitched three innings and recorded his first scoreless appearance of the season.

“I thought [my pitches] were a lot better [than they had been],” Walker said. “I thought they were a lot sharper, uptick in the velo on all my all my stuff, the splitter and everything. ... Today was the best I felt all year, probably. I felt like my normal self today.”

Orion Kerkering tossed a 1-2-3 seventh, Jeff Hoffman pitched the eighth, and Carlos Estévez pitched the ninth.

Luisangel Acuña, younger brother of Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr., made his MLB debut starting at shortstop for New York. He recorded his first major league hit off Walker in the fourth inning.