PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A home-field advantage seemingly wasn't enough for the Phillies, as the Diamondbacks took Game 6 of the NLCS Monday night, beating them 5-1.
“It’s deflating, because the whole day you think, 'OK, this is going to be it.' And then it wasn’t. So, it’s disappointing. But hey, there’s another game," said Phillies fan Chris Philpott of Allentown.
Arizona entered the top of the second in full-swing against Aaron Nola.
Starting with Tommy Pham’s home run to left field, immediately followed by Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s homer to left center and Evan Longoria’s double as Thomas scored, the game quickly jumped to 3-0.
But the Phillies fought back in the bottom of the second and the crowd went wild when J.T. Realmuto doubled to second, Brandon Marsh singled to right, and Realmuto scored, bringing the score to 3-1.
By the top of the fifth, Corbin Carroll singled to center before Ketel Marte tripled to right and Carroll scored, giving the Diamondbacks a three-point lead of 4-1.
Arizona bumped up the score again to 5-1 in the top of the seventh when Geraldo Perdomo took first then stole second after Carroll struck out, making it easy for Perdomo to score when Marte singled to center.
“Down three it was surmountable. Down four? Somehow, it just shot me in the heart," said disappointed Phillies fan Lauren Hofkin.
The Phillies lost their first at-home postseason game to the Diamondbacks in the bottom of the ninth, keeping the final score locked at 5-1.
Chris Schopen of Phoenixville says he knew getting back in the World Series wouldn’t be easy.
“You’ve got to find your way to win and be a champion," he explained. "And tonight just wasn’t the night.”
This loss sets up a decisive Game 7 scheduled for Tuesday at 8:07 p.m. at Citizens Bank Park. This will be the Phillies' first Game 7 in the history of their franchise. And, in anticipation of a typical Philly fan celebration following a potential win tomorrow night, the city has already begun greasing poles.