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The Philadelphia Phillies went into the top of the ninth inning down 8–6 to the Washington Nationals after Orion Kerkering gave up a three-run home run to blow the lead late in the game.
All momentum was washed away, and even more so when the first two batters for Philadelphia struck out to begin the ninth inning. Trea Turner, the team’s stalwart veteran shortstop was down to his final strike as it looked like the Phillies would fall to their NL East rival.
But the fat lady didn’t sing at Nationals Park for the Phillies. In fact, Trea Turner kept the game alive with a single to center field.
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Bryson Stott of the Philadelphia Phillies hits a three-run home run against the Washington Nationals during the ninth inning at Nationals Park in Washington, DC on June 23, 2026. (Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
What followed was not just a rally to tie the game. Brandon Marsh did it in the next at-bat with a two-run homer. Instead, Marsh’s bomb opened the floodgates for the Phillies to score eight runs in the top of the ninth inning to completely beat the Nationals and its home crowd in a miraculous 14-9 victory Tuesday night.
It was the Phillies’ highest-scoring ninth inning since Sept. 27, 2015, when they also scored eight runs against the same Nationals. What made this rally particularly notable, however, was that each run came with two outs.
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After Marsh’s home run, Bryce Harper kept the rally alive with a single as the Phillies looked to take the lead. Then Derek Hill added a single, bringing up Bryson Stott with the chance to score for the first time since the top of the eighth when Philadelphia scored three.
Stott could not have been more caught up in the moment as he smashed a ball down the left field line and leaned left hoping it would stay on the right side of the foul pole. It did just that, and Stott’s three-run home run took the air out of the crowd as the Phillies went up 11-8.
But the attack was not finished. The Phillies couldn’t stop rallying as Edmundo Sosa drove in two more runs to make it 13-8, and Turner struck again, singling home Sosa.
Chase Shugart and JT Realmuto of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrate after the final out against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park in Washington, DC on June 23, 2026. (Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
Eventually, Marsh struck out to end the inning, but the Nationals and its fan base were completely dejected entering the bottom of the ninth. Luis Garcia Jr. hit a solo home run to pad his own stats, but the Nationals fell in a dramatic collapse they will soon forget.
The Nationals allowed 10 straight batters to reach base, eight of them via hits, including three extra-base hits and the two pivotal home runs. JT Realmuto and Justin Crawford also drew walks during the contest.
While it’s still early in the season, it was a crucial game in terms of the NL East standings, as the Phillies now sit 43-36, six games out of first place, which is held by the Atlanta Braves. The Nationals aren’t too far behind, however, sitting just 2.5 games behind the Phillies at 41-39. The Miami Marlins have the same record as Washington.
Brandon Marsh of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates with teammate Trea Turner after hitting a two-run home run against the Washington Nationals during the ninth inning at Nationals Park in Washington, DC on June 23, 2026. (Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
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Baseball is a game of momentum, but what the Phillies showed in the nation’s capital was much more than that. They took the “not until the last out” mantra and ran with it to a crazy eight-run finish that the team will be talking about for a while.
