Phillies persist in 10 innings to beat the Mets and Max Scherzer in opener of key series

NEW YORK — The Phillies and Mets stayed tied, 1-1, from the second inning until the 10th inning, but it was sacrifice fly that won it for the Phillies, 2-1 in the opener of a key series with their National League East rivals.

With rookie shortstop Bryson Stott, the automatic runner, at third, Alec Bohm hit a fly ball to right fielder Starling Marte. Marte caught it, and Stott started chugging home, only to realize the ball had skipped past the catcher. He was safe, the Phillies got a 2-1 lead, and the Mets failed to score in the bottom of the 10th off David Robertson, who got the save. Ballgame over.

Earlier in the day, interim manager Rob Thomson shrugged off the idea that this series against the Mets was a litmus test, but the Phillies have been playing with a different energy over the past few weeks, and that energy shined through Friday night. Citi Field was packed with rambunctious fans, and the Phillies were facing off against a three-time Cy Young Award winner in Max Scherzer, but they played with the urgency of a playoff team.

No play embodied that urgency more than Matt Vierling’s throw in the bottom of the ninth, with runners on first and third and one out. With the game on the line, Vierling caught a Daniel Vogelbach fly ball and gunned it home in time to tag Marte out at the plate.

“I’ve been playing with Vierling since we got drafted, so I know he can throw,” Bohm said of Vierling’s play. “And I saw him coming in it, I didn’t think they were going to send him. I thought they might be bluffing. But a game like that, runs are tough to come by, you see all the arms out there tonight. So, they took a chance, but it came over my head, looked good, hits J.T. right in the chest, perfect throw. Got him.”

It was the type of play a winning team makes — the type of play a playoff team makes — and it led to a statement win for the Phillies. They’ve won eight of their last nine contests, and 13 of their 15. They’ve also beaten two of the best pitchers in the league — Scherzer and the Marlins’ Sandy Alcantara — over their past three games.

Stott batted leadoff for the first time in his big league career and took to it quickly. Thomson wasn’t surprised; before the game, he lauded Stott for his ability to work at-bats. Stott reached base in his first four plate appearances — with a double, a hit by pitch, and two singles — and finished his day 3-for-4.

More impressive was that Stott did most of this against Scherzer, who entered Friday’s game with a 1.98 ERA. Stott has hit well against Scherzer all season; he’s now 6-for-7 against the three-time Cy Young award winner for his career. Stott — who has a grand total of 83 big league games under his belt — is the first player to reach base four times in the same game against Scherzer.

“It’s pretty cool,” Stott said of his accomplishment. “He’s obviously going to be in the Hall of Fame, so it’s pretty cool.”

The Phillies got on the board early, thanks to Bohm’s RBI single in the top of the first, but failed to capitalize on many of their opportunities. They left nine runners on base and went 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position, despite the fact that they had 10 hits.

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Their best chance to do more damage against Scherzer came in the top of the second, when Jean Segura hit a single, Stott reached base via hit by pitch, and Hoskins hit a single to load the bases with two outs. But Bohm grounded out, and the Phillies wouldn’t see another bases loaded opportunity for the rest of the game.

Nevertheless, Thomson said it was huge that the Phillies were able to pull off a win using their defense and their pitching, considering the caliber of pitching that they’ll be facing over the rest of this series in New York.

“We’ve had a couple of those this year, but this is a big win for that locker room,” he said. “Just because of that. The atmosphere; every pitch, every ball put in play, the game is on the line. One mistake could cost you the game. So it’s good practice.”

Left-handed starter Ranger Suárez has looked like his 2021 self since his return from the injured list (low back spasm) on July 16. Friday night was no different. Facing off against one of the best in the game in Scherzer, Suárez allowed only three hits, one earned run and two walks with four strikeouts over seven innings. His three hits allowed matched a season-low (the last time he did this was on July 30 in Pittsburgh, against a vastly different lineup).

It’s unclear if Keith Hernandez was watching the game, but based on his recent comments, he probably wasn’t. Unfortunately for Hernandez, he missed a highlight-reel defensive play from Bohm in the bottom of the sixth.

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Marte hit a roller toward the left side that bounced Suárez. Bohm scooped up the ball with his bare hand and fired it to first base in time to throw Marte out. Phillies play-by-play announcer Scott Franzke promptly took a playful jab at Hernandez on the air.

“I certainly hope Keith Hernandez got to see that,” Franzke said of Bohm’s play.

When asked whether Hernandez’s comments had any impact on the Phillies’ defense — which seemed to be extra spectacular Friday night — Bohm said it did not.

“If words hurt our feelings like that, this is the wrong job for us, right?” he said. “I mean, yeah, it could be fuel to the fire, but I don’t take that personally. I don’t care, honestly.”