Last Night in Baseball: The Phillies (Somehow) Won on Catcher Interference Again

There is always baseball happening — almost too much baseball for one person to handle themselves.

That’s why we’re here to help, though, by sifting through the previous days’ games, and figuring out what you missed, but shouldn’t have. Here are all the best moments from last night in Major League Baseball:

Phillies beat Red Sox again, with help from catcher interference, again

On Monday, the Phillies beat the Red Sox thanks to a walk-off catcher interference call with the bases loaded — a rarity that’s only happened once before in MLB history, all the way back in 1971. On Tuesday, catcher interference scored the game-winner for the Phillies yet again.

With the Phillies up 1-0 already in the first inning, Bryce Harper decided it was time to steal home. Richard Fitts’ windup was slow enough for Harper to risk a straight steal, so he took off during it and made it safely home at basically the same time as Fitts’ pitch to Brandon Marsh. However, Harper was called safe for another reason: catcher interference by Carlos Narváez, his second in his last two innings.

Narváez caught Fitts’ pitch and immediately put himself in position to get Harper, but the problem was that he had crossed home plate to get it. This kept Marsh from swinging, so even though he had bailed to get out of Harper’s way and a potential play at the plate, by the letter of the law Narváez had broken a rule, resulting in the CI and a balk called on Fitts. Harper scored, Nick Castellanos was awarded second and Marsh was sent to first.

While Harper scored the eventual game-winner that early, that didn’t stop Kyle Schwarber from piling on with his 33rd homer of the season the very next inning.

The Phillies’ weak point is their bullpen, but the performance of starting pitcher Cristopher Sánchez negated that. Sanchez struck out 12 batters in a complete-game effort that saw him allow just four hits, one run and no walks. It was his third start with double digits in strikeouts on the season, and his ERA now sits at 2.40, all of 0.01 behind teammate and Phillies’ ace Zack Wheeler.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox, who had won 10 in a row before the All-Star break, are just 1-4 since the season resumed. They’ll try to avoid the sweep on Wednesday with Lucas Giolito on the mound against Jesus Luzardo.

A three-run… check swing?

The Dodgers looked good on Monday in a way that they haven’t nearly often enough in July. On Tuesday? Well. That looked a lot like the rest of the month. The highlight/lowlight example being the three runs they allowed the Twins to score on a check-swing infield hopper.

Reliever Will Klein came in for the Dodgers to start the top of the seventh, and while he struck out Will Castro to open the frame, he then walked Carlos Correa, Ty France and Matt Wallner in order. Los Angeles would put Edgardo Henriquez on the mound to try to keep something terrible from happening. He did not keep something terrible from happening.

In fact, Henriquez was directly responsible for said happening.

Royce Lewis would reach first base despite a dribbling little checked-swing ball hit right to Henriquez, because the Dodgers’ reliever picked it up in a way that caused him to pause and then rush his throw, which sailed by first base and into right field — a ball hit a few feet up the line had reached the warning track, with the bases loaded. By the time the ball got back to the infield, Lewis was standing on third, and the Twins were up 9-5. They’d end up winning 10-7.

Well hey, at least Ohtani went yard and tied for the NL home run lead once more. That’s four games in a row now, for the first time in his career.

Matthews’ week is already huge

Brice Matthews was drafted by the Astros in the first round in 2023, and already found himself in the majors as of July 11. He’s had himself a week just two games into it, as Matthews hit two homers on Monday against the Diamondbacks, driving in five runs in a 6-3 win, and on Tuesday he was at it again.

First, with his third homer of the year, a two-run shot in the top of the eighth that put Houston up 2-1. 

Then, Matthews decided to flash his glove, too. He kicked off a smooth-looking double play to end the D-backs’ scoring threat in the ninth, and the game.

The Diamondbacks had the bases loaded with one out, down 3-1, and it’s very easy to imagine that ball getting through to the outfield and, at the least, tying things up in Arizona. Instead, Matthews makes the sliding stop and pivot, successfully gets the ball to second, and a throw to first later the Astros came away victorious once more.

Raleigh goes deep when the Mariners need it most

Cal Raleigh went on a tear before the All-Star Game, and ended up finishing one home run shy of Barry Bonds’ 2001 record of 39 homers before the break because of it. Then Big Dumper won the Home Run Derby, but since play resumed following the Midsummer Classic, he hadn’t yet hit another homer. Until Tuesday, anyway, when Raleigh mashed a no-doubt solo shot to break a scoreless tie in the sixth inning against the Brewers.

That homer mattered in-game, but it also tied Ken Griffey Jr. for the most through five seasons in Mariners’ history… and Raleigh’s season isn’t over. He’s at 132 career dingers now, but the next one will give him 40 for the year, and sole possession of this franchise-best stat with over two months of season to go.

Seattle would end up winning 1-0 courtesy this Raleigh long ball, snapping the Brewers’ 11-game win streak. While Raleigh might have driven in the lone run, he doesn’t deserve all the credit for the victory: M’s starter Logan Gilbert struck out 10 batters over 6.1 innings while scattering a pair of hits, and four members of Seattle’s bullpen kept the red-hot Brewers ice-cold the rest of the way.

A challenger appears

Rich Hill is back! The 45-year-old was called up by the Royals on Tuesday for his first MLB start of the season against the Cubs, which made him (1) the oldest active player in the league, (2) the oldest pitcher to start a game since a 49-year-old Jamie Moyer once roamed the land in 2012 and (3) tied with Edwin Jackson for the most teams any one player has ever played for, with 14.

How long will Dick Mountain stick around? The answer to that is unknown whether you’re talking about 2025 or long-term, but what matters at this moment is that Hill is back, and he went five innings with two strikeouts and one earned run in his return. Enjoy him while you can, whether that’s for a few more starts, the rest of the year, or long enough for him to add a record 15th team to his résumé.

You can’t forget about Cruz’s legs

Oneil Cruz’s absurd strength dominates the conversation, but the dude can also run, as he reminded the Tigers on Tuesday. The Pirates were already up 2-0 in the bottom of the third, and then Ke’Bryan Hayes hit a ball to third that should have been an easy out at first. Instead, there was a throwing error by Zach McKinstry, allowing Hayes to reach, and Cruz took advantage of the confusion. He not only advanced to third on the throw, but never quite stopped, and then turned on the jets to make it all the way home despite the ball never leaving the infield.

A real heads-up play from Cruz, who noticed that the Tigers weren’t moving with the kind of urgency they should have been with a runner like him already in scoring position.

A Cubs’ Double steal! 

The Royals fell for the oldest trick in the book. Wasn’t Rich Hill there when that thing was written? Come on, guys.

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