With their backs against the wall for the first time all postseason, the Philadelphia Phillies put together a 6-1 road victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks to take a commanding 3-2 series lead as the NLCS shifts back to the east coast.
The usual candidates deserve credit. Zack Wheeler pitched circles around Zac Gallen (again). Bryce Harper did his thing. Kyle Schwarber, king of the NLCS, has five home runs in this series. J.T. Realmuto was clutch yet again.
That said, the player getting heaping piles of praise in the locker room last night (other than Harper), was Bryson Stott. The second-year second baseman put together his most complete game in a minute. He recorded two hits, including an RBI single in the first inning. His savvy base-running led to Harper stealing home for a second run in the opening frame.
Then, in the field, Stott was his usual, soon-to-be Gold Glove self.
Stott has been in a minor slump lately, going 0-for-6 in his previous two outings. That ended Saturday night. After the game, it was Harper who led the Stott cheerleading with a bold proclamation about the 26-year-old's stature in the league.
"He's the best second baseman in the league," Harper said. "I don't care who you are, you're not better than Bryson Stott."
Hard to get much better than the best.
Bryce Harper crowns Bryson Stott 'best second baseman in the league' after huge Phillies win
Now, is there a bit of hyperbole at play here? Some hometown bias? Of course. Stott probably doesn't qualify as the best second baseman in a league that includes Marcus Semien, Ozzie Albies, Jose Altuve, and the like. Still, there's a reason the Phillies made Stott a first-round pick back in 2019, and it would appear the decision is paying dividends.
The Gold Glove finalist has been a saving grace in the infield all season. Zack Wheeler joined the chorus singing Stott's praises after the game, noting the impressive performance of the defense behind him.
"The defense, it's probably the best they played behind me all year," Wheeler said. "It was really cool to watch them do their thing out there. Stott. [Harper] made a good play. [Nick] Castellanos cutting a ball off and didn't let it get to the wall."
Offense has been the driving force behind Philadelphia's second-straight NLCS run, but Stott and the defense saved multiple runs and helped Wheeler last seven innings Saturday night. With the bullpen in complete disarray after Game 4, there were few more critical achievements than keeping Wheeler on the mound for so long.
The Phillies will hope this is the beginning of a warmer stretch at the plate for Stott as well. If he can continue driving in runs and getting on base in the five spot, it will make a significant difference, especially with Alec Bohm on the struggle bus batting cleanup.
One more win. That's all Philly needs to advance to its second straight World Series, which would be quite the accomplishment for back-to-back wild card teams. One has to imagine Stott will receive a warm welcome when the Phils take the field in Citizens Bank Park with a chance to close out the series on Monday.
