Philadelphia Phillies rookie Justin Crawford delivered a walk-off single in the 10th inning for a 6-5 victory over the Washington Nationals on Wednesday at Citizens Bank Park. The win completed a series victory after trailing 5-1. Crawford's hit marked his first career walk-off in just his fifth MLB game.
The Phillies rallied from a 4-run deficit in the seventh inning. J.T. Realmuto hit a solo home run off Andre Granillo, and Bryce Harper followed with another in the eighth against Cionel Pérez, both their first of the season. In the ninth, with bases loaded and two outs, Edmundo Sosa lined an 0-2 sweeper for a two-run single that tied the game at 5-5. Sosa later made a leaping catch at second in the 10th for a double play to thwart the Nationals' automatic runner. Realmuto singled to start the bottom of the 10th, setting up Crawford's RBI single off Cole Henry on a first-pitch cutter. Crawford, 22, became the youngest Phillie with a walk-off RBI since Scott Rolen in 1997 and joined Nick Maton and Jimmy Rollins as the only rookies this century with seven-plus hits in their first five games. “That was special,” Crawford said. “Definitely something I’ll remember for a very long time.” Phillies manager Rob Thomson called it “outstanding,” as the team heads to Colorado at 3-3. Nationals manager Blake Butera noted his team's frustration after leading 5-1 on CJ Abrams' three-run homer. “They're pretty upset right now,” Butera said. The Nationals, also 3-3, host the Dodgers next.
