PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks returned home to Chase Field in downtown Phoenix for a win in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series (NLCS) against the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday afternoon.
After losing the first two games of the best-of-four series in Philadelphia, the D-backs gave rookie pitcher Brandon Pfaadt the start and he shut down the Phillies lineup.
Pfaadt started Game Three with a strike out of Kyle Schwarber, but then gave up a single to Phillies shortstop Trea Turner. However, Pfaadt got the inning to end on the next batter as Bryce Harper grounded into a double play.
That would just be the start of Pfaadt's fantastic night, as he ended up throwing five and two-thirds innings of shutout baseball, striking out nine Phillies and only giving up two hits.
"Brandon was unbelievable," D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. "Brandon threw the baseball as good as you possibly could have hoped or imagined. Once again, it's a young kid stepping into a huge environment and executing at a very high level. That's what stands out more than anything."
Lovullo was loudly booed by Diamondbacks fans when he went on to the field to take Pfaadt out of the game in the sixth inning, but Lovullo was able to make light of that moment after the game.
"Yeah, I'm sure I was the most unpopular guy in the City of Phoenix, in the downtown area, and maybe in the entire state of Arizona, right," Lovullo jokingly asked. "I want everybody to know that is trying to think along with me that we have a strategy. I have a strategy for everything that's done. Everything that's done has been well talked about. It's not just analytics. I know how quickly playoff baseball can change, and I felt like Brandon kept the game under control, and it was time to turn it over."
Pfaadt added that while he wanted to stay in the game, he understood Lovullo's decision.
"At the end of the day who knows -- woulda, coulda, shoulda," Pfaadt said. "Bullpen did great. They've been doing great the whole postseason, so you can't think that way in taking a starter out. Obviously, I'm a competitor. I want to keep going. Everybody does, but at the end of the day, you just have to trust his decision and move forward, go to the bullpen, let them do their jobs."
The D-backs struggled once again to find their offense as they only managed three hits off Phillies' starting pitcher Ranger Suárez, who also stuck out seven Diamondbacks.
Each team would have opportunities to score in the third inning but would come up empty and this game would be scoreless heading into the seventh inning.
That's when the Phillies took advantage of a major miscue from the Diamondbacks.
Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper walked to start the top of the seventh inning and just three batters later, ended up scoring when a wild pitch got past Diamondbacks catch Gabriel Moreno.
That gave the Phillies a 1-0 lead.
But, as they have all season, the 'Answer-backs' showed up.
In the bottom of the seventh, D-backs outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. tied the game with an RBI double that scored Tommy Pham.
Neither team would be able to score again until the bottom of the ninth inning when D-backs second baseman Ketel Marte created some chaos.
With one out, Phillies closer Craig Kimbrel walked D-backs shortstop Geraldo Perdomo to load the bases and bring Marte, Arizona's hottest hitter this postseason, to the plate.
Marte hit a single to right-center field, scoring Pavin Smith and causing the fans at Chase Field to erupt, as the D-backs walked off the Phillies with a 2-1 win and making sure that Arizona will play all three games at Chase Field as the NLCS now stands at 2 wins to 1 in favor of the Phillies.
"(Marte) has an unbelievable heartbeat," Lovullo said about his second baseman after the game. "He loves to be in that moment. He is one of our best players for a reason. I thought the key to that inning was Perdomo walking and handing it off to Ketel. But Ketel thrives in that situation. He just has the heart of a lion. He wants to get the job done and be the main guy to and help his team win a baseball game."
Pfaadt also spoke very highly of Marte.
"That was incredible," Pfaadt said. "Right man, right spot. Ketel is amazing. He can do that in his sleep, so having Ketel and all those guys start getting hot and we're going to be a dangerous team for sure."
Marte's walk-off gave the D-backs their first NLCS win since 2001, when they beat Atlanta in Game Five to advance to the World Series, which they won over the Yankees. This was also the D-backs' first postseason walk-off since Luis Gonzalez hit his walk-off single off Yankees' closer Mariano Rivera to win that World Series.
The D-backs will look to tie the NLCS at two wins piece on Friday night when they play the Phillies in Game Four at Chase Field. The first pitch will be at 5:07 p.m.
According to 12News' Cameron Cox, Joe Mantiply will get the start for the D-backs against Philadelphia's Christopher Sanchez.
Postgame Reaction
12News was all over Chase Field in the moments after the D-backs beat the Phillies in Game Three of the NLCS! Watch the videos below to see reaction from fans and our interviews with players after the game.
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made the State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers also play at the Footprint. Phoenix has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Cactus Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the Waste Management Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall; and Cactus League Spring Training.
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