Phillies Erase Four-Run Deficit With Walk-Off Homer in Ninth
PHI def. STL · August 23, 2026 · Final: Phillies 6, Cardinals 4
Philadelphia trailed 4-0 heading to the bottom of the ninth, a hole four years deep by the time Cardinals shortstop JJ Wetherholt singled in a run in the top of the seventh to push St. Louis's lead to that margin. According to win probability, the Phillies had a half-percent chance of winning at that point in the ninth. They won anyway.
Phillies third baseman Edmundo Sosa started it. With the bases loaded, Sosa hit a ground ball to left field that found grass and kept rolling. Phillies right fielder-turned-baserunner Bryce Harper scored, then J.T. Realmuto, then center fielder Justin Crawford — a three-run double that pulled Philadelphia within one, 4-3, in the bottom of the ninth.
Bryan De La Cruz, Philadelphia's right fielder, kept it going. His ground ball to left scored Sosa, and just like that the game was tied at 4.
Then came Kyle Schwarber.
The Phillies first baseman, on his 39th home run of the season, sent a fly ball to center field. Bryan De La Cruz scored ahead of him. The ball landed, the game ended, and the scoreboard read Philadelphia Phillies 6, St. Louis Cardinals 4.
The Comeback
- Largest deficit
- 4 runs — in the top of the 7th
- Win-probability nadir
- 0.5% (down 4 in the bottom of the 9th)
- Lead flipped for good
- bottom of the 9th
- Lead changes
- 1
- Final
- PHI 6, STL 4 — won by 2, walk-off
Scoring Summary
| Inn. | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| T1 | Alec Burleson singles on a sharp line drive to center fielder Justin Crawford. JJ Wetherholt scores. | 1-0 |
| T4 | Alec Burleson singles on a ground ball to right fielder Bryan De La Cruz, deflected by first baseman Kyle Schwarber. Jordan Walker scores. | 2-0 |
| T5 | José Fermín homers (6) on a fly ball to left center field. | 3-0 |
| T7 | JJ Wetherholt singles on a sharp line drive to right fielder Bryan De La Cruz. Ramón Urías scores. Pedro Pagés to 2nd. | 4-0 |
| B9 | Edmundo Sosa doubles (8) on a ground ball to left fielder José Fermín. Bryce Harper scores. J.T. Realmuto scores. Justin Crawford scores. | 4-3 |
| B9 | Bryan De La Cruz singles on a ground ball to left fielder José Fermín. Edmundo Sosa scores. | 4-4 |
| B9 | Kyle Schwarber homers (39) on a fly ball to center field. Bryan De La Cruz scores. | 4-6 |
Box score
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Line score
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 0 |
| PHI | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 0 |
PHIWinning team
Batting
| Batter | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyle Schwarber1B | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .245 |
| Trea TurnerSS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .245 |
| Bryce HarperDH | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .260 |
| Luis Arraez2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .322 |
| Brandon MarshLF | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .277 |
| J.T. RealmutoC | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .224 |
| Justin CrawfordCF | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .269 |
| Edmundo Sosa3B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | .231 |
| Bryan De La CruzRF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .359 |
| Bryson Stott2B | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .259 |
Pitching
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | NP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cristopher Sánchez | 6.2 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 103 |
| Tim Mayza | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 24 |
| Alex McFarlane | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
STLLosing team
Batting
| Batter | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JJ WetherholtSS | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .244 |
| Iván HerreraDH | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .242 |
| Jordan WalkerRF | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .289 |
| Alec Burleson1B | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .291 |
| Blaze Jordan3B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .243 |
| José FermínLF | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .247 |
| Ramón Urías2B | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .164 |
| Pedro PagésC | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .214 |
| Joshua BáezLF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .139 |
Pitching
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | NP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyle Leahy | 4.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 63 |
| Luis Gastelum | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 15 |
| Justin Bruihl | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| Ryne Stanek | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| George Soriano | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Riley O'Brien | 0.2 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 39 |