When a team is rolling like the Reds currently are, there will occasionally be one or two games where a win comes not on a big home run or spectacular play, but from something a little bizarre.
Wednesday’s 7-4 win over the Mets, giving them a three-game sweep, certainly qualifies as a little out of the ordinary.
“I remember I had a coach, Luke Appling, with the Braves when I was a kid,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said. “He said to be lucky, you had to think lucky.”
Tied at 4 in the ninth and facing Mets closer Bobby Parnell, Brandon Phillips hit a soft bouncer towards first base on a check swing. First baseman Ike Davis let the ball go by, expecting it to be ruled foul.
The ball bounced over first base and was correctly called fair by umpire Phil Cuzzi, which allowed Shin-Soo Choo to score from third base. Phillips cruised into second with a double.
“I couldn’t get the guy at home,” Davis said. “Choo runs really fast, and it was really slow to my backhand side, plus I was trying to get off the bag to get in the hole because it was a right-handed hitter. They don’t usually hit it down the line like that. But the second that, right before it bounced, I thought it bounced foul. In my head, I can’t catch it, touch the bag and then throw it to second and get the guy out, because then it’s a tag play and the guy scores anyway.”
After the game, Phillips still didn’t know exactly how he ended up with the game-winning hit.
“I understand what [Davis] was trying to do. It just went in my favor,” said Phillips, who leads the National League with 40 RBIs. “Things happen. This game is crazy. But I’ll take it, hands down. I’m just happy we got the win today. That’s more important than anything. It was a team effort.”
Following an intentional walk to Jay Bruce, pinch-hitter Todd Frazier’s soft single to center field scored two more runs. Alfredo Simon pitched a scoreless eighth inning for the victory, while Aroldis Chapman closed it out with a one-hit bottom of the ninth for his 10th save.
Now a season-best 11 games over .500 at 29-18, the Reds can return to Cincinnati feeling very good. They won seven of nine during a 10-day road trip through Miami, Philadelphia and New York — including sweeps of the Marlins and Mets — to improve to 13-12 on the road. All three NL East teams are struggling, but no points are deducted in the win column for beating up on weaker clubs.
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