Rafael Marchán's go-ahead home run gives the Phillies a 9-6 comeback win over the Dodgers

Lochlahn March, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Sep 17, 2025

Published in Baseball

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LOS ANGELES — The Phillies, fresh off a boisterous celebration for clinching the National League East title the night before, did not run out a prototypical “hangover lineup” on Tuesday.

Since the series against the Los Angeles Dodgers holds significant postseason implications with a first-round bye still in play, the only healthy everyday player on the bench was J.T. Realmuto, and Rafael Marchán started behind the plate instead.

And it just so happened that Marchán, hitting last with just one homer on the year, came up to bat with a tie ballgame in the ninth inning.

The backup catcher watched four pitches from Blake Treinen go by without lifting his bat off his shoulders. When Marchán finally did swing, on a 3-1 cutter on the inside edge of the plate, he sent it just over the wall in the right field corner to put the Phillies back ahead for the 9-6 win and sent the dugout into a frenzy.

Pitching against the Phillies for the first time in his career, two-way Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani held them without a hit until he reached his pre-planned innings limit. The only baserunner Ohtani allowed was a first inning walk to the two-time MVP on the other team, Bryce Harper.

Marchán also started the Phillies’ first rally in the sixth inning to overcome an early 4-0 deficit. He found a gap in the right side of the infield for a single. It was the first in a parade of five consecutive hits off lefty reliever Justin Wrobleski, which suddenly turned that 4-0 deficit into a 5-4 lead.

Consecutive singles from Harrison Bader and Kyle Schwarber loaded the bases, before Harper connected on a slider at the bottom of the zone for a double that scored two. Brandon Marsh followed it up with just his second homer of the year off a left-handed pitcher. He quickly fell behind 0-2 in the count, but sent a slider over the right field wall for a three-run shot.

That was the end of the night for Wrobleski, as he and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts were loudly booed by the home crowd as Edgardo Henriquez took over. Max Kepler added some needed insurance with a towering solo shot to give the Phillies a 6-4 lead.

Phillies starter Cristopher Sánchez had not allowed a home run since July 28. But in the second inning on Tuesday, the Dodgers went deep on him twice. First, it was a solo homer from Alex Call, quickly followed by a two-run shot from Kiké Hernández.

The Dodgers added another run on a sacrifice fly from Hernández in the fourth, but Sánchez held them off the scoreboard after that, completing seven innings and striking out six.

Los Angeles tied things up against the Phillies bullpen in the eighth. David Robertson surrendered a home run to Ohtani, and then loaded the bases with a double, walk, and single. One inherited run scored on Tanner Banks after he took over. Call hit a sacrifice fly that evened things at 6-6.

After Marchán gave the Phillies back the lead, Jhoan Duran pitched a 1-2-3 ninth, inducing a groundout from Ohtani for the final out of the game.