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The Los Angeles Angels got a wild home run robbery to save a ninth-inning lead against the Philadelphia Phillies. Which was great until it turned out they needed two.
The Angels experienced the full range of emotions in the top of the ninth on Friday, celebrating a lead-saving catch by Wade Meckler then watching as Edmundo Sosa hit a pinch-hit, go-ahead grand slam to give the Phillies a 5-3 win.
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The first fly ball came off the bat of Bryson Stott, who crushed an inside fastball from Angels closer Ben Joyce with one out and two runners on base. Unfortunately, that ball went to the short right field wall at Angel Stadium, giving Meckler the room to bring it back with a leaping catch.
That left the Angels an out away from ending the game. Joyce faced JT Realmuto and walked him on five pitches, during which he also allowed the runners to advance on a wild pitch.
That prompted the Angels to pull Joyce and replace him with left-hander Sammy Peralta. The Phillies responded by pinch-hitting the right-handed Sosa for the left-handed Brandon Marsh.
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It worked out, with Sosa hitting his first career grand slam. There was no bringing that one back.
That wasn’t the end of the game either. The Phillies threatened to score more runs with back-to-back singles from Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turnerr, but Bryce Harper ended the frame with a flyout.
In the bottom of the ninth, the Angels got two runners on with one out via a Vaughn Grissom hit-by-pitch and a Luis Arraez error that allowed Christian Moore to reach base. Jose Siri and Adam Frazier then struck out to end the game.
The ninth was more theatrical than usual, but this kind of stuff has been the norm for the Angels this season. The team’s record is 52-82 as it stares down another lost season, with little reason to expect anything different in the near future.
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As for the Phillies, that win strengthens their position for the second wild-card spot in the NL, 1.5 games behind the Chicago Cubs for the top spot and 2.5 games ahead of the San Diego Padres for the third one.
