The San Diego Padres lost to the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-3, Sunday in Philadelphia, sending the Phillies to the World Series and ending the Padres' season.
Designated hitter Bryce Harper was the hero for Philadelphia, smashing a two-run, go-ahead home run into the left-field bleachers off Padres reliever Robert Suárez in the bottom of the eighth inning.
The Phillies bested San Diego four games-to-one in the National League Championship Series, with the Padres winning only Wednesday's Game 2 in San Diego.
Phillies starter Zack Wheeler limited San Diego to three hits and two runs in six innings while striking out eight but did not factor in the decision. Yu Darvish started for San Diego, pitching six innings and allowing four hits and two earned runs while striking out five. He also did not factor in the decision.
The Phillies scored two runs off Darvish in the third inning on first baseman Rhys Hoskins' two-run homer. San Diego's first run came in the fourth inning on a home run by right fielder Juan Soto.
First baseman Josh Bell tied the game in the seventh, driving in second baseman Jake Cronenworth with a double to right field off Phillies reliever Seranthony Domínguez. San Diego took the lead a few minutes later when pinch runner José Azocar scored on a wild pitch by Domínguez.
Robert Suárez replaced Darvish in the bottom of the seventh and retired the Phillies in that frame despite giving up a hit and a walk, before yielding Harper's opposite-field home run in the eighth. Suárez was charged with the loss.
Jose Alvarado pitched a scoreless eighth inning for Philadelphia and was credited with the win.
Phillies reliever David Robertson started the ninth inning and surrendered two walks while striking out one. He was relieved by Ranger Suarez — no relation to Robert Suárez — who retired the final two San Diego batters and was credited with the save.
The Padres made it to their first NLCS since 1998 with the help of two huge midseason acquisitions, trading four players to the Milwaukee Brewers for relief pitcher Josh Hader on Aug. 1, then dealing a bevy of players to the Washington Nationals for the 23-year-old Soto one day later.
The team fizzled for a while after the trades, losing nine of 12 games to the Dodgers and finishing 22 games behind Los Angeles in the National League West.
But San Diego heated up in the postseason, beating the favored New York Mets two games-to-one in the Wild-Card Round and upsetting the favored Dodgers three games-to-one in a National League Division Series.
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The Phillies clinched the National League Championship Series and ended the Padres’ World Series dreams, at least for this year. Because for Padres fans — the people who nearly rocked Petco Park off its foundation last week – and the millions of others who felt united in celebrating the home team's victories, there is always next year.
