PHILADELPHIA — In an exciting conclusion to a closely contested game, Brandon Marsh’s single in the 11th inning sealed a 4-3 victory for the Philadelphia Phillies over the Chicago Cubs on Monday night. The win was facilitated by two strategic bunt hits that successfully loaded the bases.
The Cubs tried to rally late in the game, with Ian Happ delivering a solo home run off Matt Strahm in the eighth inning, tying the score at 2. Entering extra innings, Pete Crow-Armstrong brought the Cubs a 3-2 advantage through an RBI double in the 11th off Carlos Hernández.
J.T. Realmuto responded by leveling the score for the Phillies with a single that brought in the automatic runner, facing Daniel Palencia. Following Realmuto’s clutch hit, the Phillies executed two consecutive bunt singles, vital to the team’s successful offensive effort. Bryson Stott, who had been slumping at the plate and was benched before his late appearance, initiated the move. Providing an unexpected boost, rookie third baseman Otto Kemp, an undrafted prospect from Division II, followed with another bunt single, setting up Marsh’s decisive swing.
This victory was particularly significant for Philadelphia, which had been struggling, losing nine of their last ten games and slipping from the NL East’s top position after their recent sweep by Pittsburgh. Otto Kemp stood out in the match with pivotal contributions. The 25-year-old, who joined the Phillies from Division II’s Point Loma Nazarene University on Saturday, marked his first big-league hit during the game and later scored after advancing on a fielding error by Chicago’s pitcher, Matthew Boyd. Weston Wilson’s subsequent RBI single provided Philadelphia with a narrow 2-1 lead.
Although the Phillies faced a scare in the fourth by only scoring once with the bases full and no outs, they managed to navigate the tension effectively. Meanwhile, for the Cubs, it was a challenging day as their manager, Craig Counsell, faced ejection again – the second time in consecutive games following an incident at Detroit on Sunday. This time, he was removed in the ninth inning while arguing that Kemp had run out of the baseline on an infield single.
Looking ahead, Chicago will aim to bounce back in the series as they prepare to send right-hander Colin Rea to start against Philadelphia’s Mick Abel on Tuesday night.