Philadelphia Phillies sweep Angels, win first ever series against LA

The Philadelphia Phillies have now won four games in a row, including three against the Los Angeles Angels. Philly has looked like a completely different team under interim manager Rob Thomson as the bats are back with a vengeance and this team finally looks like what it was supposed to entering the season.

After an exciting first and second game of this series, the Phillies found themselves down early in the fourth inning after a Jared Walsh single brought two runners home. Kyle Gibson’s implosion, in its entirety, led to five runs in the fourth inning, and all seemed quickly lost for the Phillies. This isn’t the same team as before, however, as the game was far from over.

Thanks to a Nick Castellanos sac-fly and a JT Realmuto RBI-groundout, the Phillies found themselves on the board in the fifth, now only being down by four runs. The momentum came up short rather quickly as Brandon Marsh would single home a run bringing the lead to four entering the bottom of the eight.

The Philadelphia Phillies would not be denied, however, as they looked to sweep the Angels.

After Herrera, Stott, and Kyle Schwarber all managed to reach and load the bases, 2021 MVP Bryce “the Hitman” Harper stepped to the plate and launched a very grand 426ft bomb (the sixth grand slam of his career) that tied the score in the bottom of the eighth. As Corey Knebel stepped to the mound in the top of the ninth, momentum was still in the sails of the Philadelphia Phillies as well as the explosive home crowd. As he gave up an RBI single to Matt Duffy, things became much less sure.

Despite this setback, there was still, at minimum, another half-inning of baseball to go. As the bottom of the ninth began, the Phillies were down but not out. Alec Bown reached on a single, as did Didi Gregorius, as the Phillies had a chance to end this game with rookie Bryson Stott at the plate. Stott hadn’t enjoyed the sharpest start to his season but had totaled five runs and three RBIs in the three previous games. Stott had gone 0/4 on the day so far, but the Phillies only needed one hit, and young player delivered.

With two outs and runners on first and second, Stott ripped a ball into right field that had even John Kruk shouting “get out!” and thankfully, the ball listened. Stott has hit the second home run of his young career, one which completed the comeback effort by Philadelphia and sealed the sweep against the Angels.

This series marks the first time the Phillies have won a series against the Angels, let alone swept them. While it should be taken with a grain of salt considering the Angles’ recent struggles, this new Phillies team seems to have found their footing. They are confident and resilient, something fans have not seen in quite a while from the Phillies. This series could be the beginning of a sensational turnaround for Philadelphia, but the true test comes next against the Brewers.