The Philadelphia Phillies pulled off a wild win over the Boston Red Sox on Monday night, thanks to a walk-off that Major League Baseball hasn’t seen in more than 50 years.
The Phillies escaped with a 3-2 win over the Red Sox in extra innings after Edmundo Sosa drew a catcher’s interference call with the bases loaded and no outs.
Sosa started to swing on a pitch that was outside the strike zone in the 10th inning at Citizens Bank Park, but he checked himself just in time. As he did, though, he made clear contact with catcher Carlos Narvaez’s glove.
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So, after a review to confirm, Brandon Marsh was allowed to take home and push the Phillies to the one-run win. Naturally, that sparked a big celebration on the field.
“I felt my barrel was a little late on the pitch,” Sosa said through an interpreter, via The Associated Press. “And as I go through my swing path, I feel like I hit the catcher’s glove. And I told the ump that I think I felt something, and I started signaling in the dugout.”
It marked just the second walk-off catcher’s interference in at least the divisional era of baseball, which dates back to 1969, and the first since 1971, according to MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki.
“I don’t feel I was that close to the hitter,” Narvaez said. “Everything went so quick. Really tough for that to happen in that moment to cost us the game. I take accountability. I’ve got to be better. That cannot happen.”
The Phillies put up two runs in the fourth inning Monday night, thanks to RBI singles from Nick Castellanos and J.T. Realmuto. That put them up by a run after a home run from Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran in the opening inning. Boston later tied it up in the sixth inning with an RBI single from Trevor Story.
The loss dropped the Red Sox to 54-48 on the season. They’ve lost three of their past four after going on a 10-game winning streak. The Phillies lead the NL East with their 57-43 record.
While the Phillies were in position to end the game in the 10th inning anyway — the bases were loaded, after all — Sosa’s unconventional way worked just as well.
“To be honest, this feels exactly like a home run,” Sosa said, via The Associated Press. “The most important thing about it is that we end up winning the game, and that’s what we went out to do.”
