Phillies Prospect Watch: Fightin Phils One Win From a Title After 9th Inning Thriller

Phillies affiliates went 2-0 on Sunday, Sept. 20, with Double-A Reading moving within a win of an Eastern League championship.

The Fightin Phils won 1-0 on the road in Game 1 of the title series, taking the lead in the ninth inning as right fielder Raylin Heredia, designated hitter Carson DeMartini and second baseman Aroon Escobar (1-for-3) drew three consecutive walks to begin the frame. A sacrifice fly from catcher Caleb Ricketts (2-for-2 with two singles) brought Heredia home, and Estibenzon Jimenez retired the side on nine pitches (eight strikes) to secure the save.

Luke Russo got the start and churned through five innings before running into trouble in the sixth; Mavis Graves took over with two aboard and nobody out, striking out two batters before ending the inning with a ground ball to first. Graves fanned four batters across two perfect innings, helping to set the stage for Ricketts’ heroics.

The Fightin Phils will host Erie at 6:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 22 with a chance to win their first championship since 2001. Triple-A Lehigh Valley (68-81) concluded their season with a 5-4 win in 11 innings behind base hits from Otto Kemp and Paul McIntosh; Colby Thomas and Raider Tello hit back-to-back home runs in the fourth inning, tying the game after the IronPigs trailed 2-0 early.