Phillies Achieve Rare Walk-Off Win Against Red Sox

It’s not every day a team scores a walk-off run without registering a single hit in the inning. What’s even more unusual? Winning a game due to a catcher interference call. Yet, that’s exactly what the Philadelphia Phillies accomplished against the Boston Red Sox on the night of the 10th.

The game was tied 2-2 as the Phillies entered the bottom of the inning after the Red Sox failed to score. First baseman Otto Kemp was hit by a pitch, and Boston’s reliever, Jordan Hicks, had a tough moment when Kemp attempted to lay down a bunt.

With left fielder Max Kepler at the plate, Hicks delivered a wild pitch, advancing both runners. The Red Sox opted to intentionally walk Kepler, leaving both runners in scoring position. Edmund Sosa then faced a 0-2 count, but battled back to 2-2. He swung at an 86-mile slider that caught the catcher, Carlos Narvaez, off-guard and brought in the winning run.

Initially, the umpire didn’t call the play, but Phillies manager Rob Thomson stepped in. Thanks to his challenge, it was determined that Narvaez had indeed interfered with Sosa’s swing.

“Honestly, this feels like a home run,” Sosa expressed through an interpreter after the game. “The main thing is that we were supposed to win, and that’s what we aimed for.” While he might have felt it was a home run, his swing didn’t look quite like one.

The last time something like this occurred was in 1971 when the Los Angeles Dodgers overcame the Cincinnati Reds in 11 innings. It’s unlikely we’ll see another similar incident for quite some time.