PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — In Game Five of the 2023 MLB National League Championship Series on Saturday night, Philadelphia's stars shone brightly. After a 6-1 win over the Diamondbacks, the Phillies will come home with a 3-2 edge over Arizona in the series.
Both teams started with their respective aces on the mound, Zac Gallen for Arizona and Zack Wheeler for Philadelphia.
The Phillies struck first, taking the early lead with two first-inning runs. First, Bryson Stott singled in Kyle Schwarber.
And then Bryce Harper scored a messy run on the back end of a double steal. Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno threw down to second base, but Ketel Marte turned and threw back home. Harper, running in from third and with nowhere else to go, crashed through Moreno pretty hard at home plate for the score.
The Phillies continued their lead into the sixth inning and beyond, when Schwarber and Harper demolished a couple of pitches deep into the seats for a homer each.
Wheeler held on to a shutout until the seventh inning, when the Diamondbacks' Alek Thomas got the Diamondbacks on the board in the bottom of the seventh.
Then in the top of the eighth, J.T. Realmuto batted in a two-run home run.
The Phillies took their 6-1 lead into the ninth inning, where they ended things comfortably on top. Now they'll take their 3-2 edge over Arizona back to Philadelphia for that infamous, cacophonous home field advantage, where they'll see about closing out the series.