Phillies 9-6 Cubs (September 25, 2024) Match Report

PHILADELPHIA – Nick Castellanos, Trea Turner and Kody Clemens each hit a home run and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Chicago Cubs 9-6 on Wednesday night to earn a bye in the first round of the playoffs.

Castellanos had three hits and scored three times. Bryson Stott also had three hits and Brandon Marsh scored three runs for the Phillies, who won their first NL East title in 13 years on Monday night.

Combined with Milwaukee’s 2-1 loss to Pittsburgh, Philadelphia secured the bye and home-field advantage in the NLDS. The Phillies had the tiebreaker against the Brewers after winning the season series against the NL Central champions.

Philadelphia will host the first game of the NLDS on October 5.

“We just have to take it step by step and take care of it,” Marsh said. “There’s nothing like it. That’s why we come here. This is what we dream of.”

Nico Hoerner hit two home runs for Chicago and Isaac Paredes hit four singles. The Cubs lost two of three games in the series and finished the road series with a score of 39-42.

Philadelphia finished the home portion of the regular season with a 54-27 record, despite losing one of its home games in London to the Mets. 42,438 fans attended, the 47th sold-out game of the season, bringing the total attendance at Citizens Bank Park this year to 3,308,638.

The Phillies finish the season with three games in Washington, starting Friday. Philadelphia can secure home-field advantage through the NL Championship Series by finishing the season tied or ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Manager Rob Thomson said he would use some of the regular players as substitutes in the final three games.

“I think it’s extremely important to give these guys some rest,” he said.

Turner gave Philadelphia the lead with a solo shot in the first. Stott hit a two-run double against Javier Assad (7-6) to give the Phillies an early 3-0 lead.

Castellanos added another solo hit in the third, but Hoerner responded with a three-pointer against Cristopher Sánchez in the fourth.

Marsh gave Philadelphia an 8-4 lead with a three-run double against Keegan Thompson in the fifth inning. All three runs came from Assad, who allowed eight hits in 4 1/3 innings.

“We got into a tough spot in the fifth inning and they hit big,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said.

Sánchez scored four runs in 4 2/3 innings, including three earned runs and five hits. José Ruiz (5-1) took the win with four outs.

Kevin Alcántara, one of Chicago’s most promising young players, started in right field and scored his first major league hit with a single in the ninth inning.

TRAINING ROOM

Cubs: 1B Michael Busch (right triceps bruise) was out of the lineup after being hit by a pitch in the second inning. … OF Seiya Suzuki (ankle) also was sidelined after being injured while running between the bases Tuesday night.

Phillies: Austin Hays started in left field for the second straight day after returning Monday from a stint on the injured list since Sept. 1 due to a kidney infection. He went 0 for 4 with one strikeout.

Next

Cubs: After a day off, RHP Jameson Taillon (11-8, 3.41 ERA) starts Friday against Cincinnati in the opener of a three-game home series.

Phillies: LHP Ranger Suárez (12-7, 3.15 ERA) starts on Friday against the Nationals.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb