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ST. LOUIS — The Philadelphia Phillies completed a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals in their NL Wild Card Series on Saturday with a 2-0 victory.

Philadelphia’s stars showed up in Game 2, with Aaron Nola pitching 6⅔ shutout innings, Bryce Harper hitting a solo home run in the second and Kyle Schwarber providing an insurance run with a sacrifice fly in the fifth.

“It’s a really good team over there,” Harper said after the game. “We had a chance to come in here and win games and we were able to do that. Just having the starting pitching that we do, and have the bullpen we do, it’s a great group of guys and we’re excited to keep this thing going.”

The win vaults Philadelphia into the NL Division Series for the first time since 2011 and ends the legendary careers of Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina.

Molina gave St. Louis a chance with his final at-bat in the ninth inning, singling off Zach Eflin with two outs. But Tommy Edman fouled out to third to end the game. Pujols finished with a pair of singles.

Nola struck out six and walked one on 101 pitches before leaving with two outs in the seventh. Jose Alvarado then retired Molina on a popup, stranding a runner on first. Seranthony Dominguez struck out MVP candidates Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado to wiggle out of a two-on, one-out jam in the eighth.

The victory also avenges the Phillies’ loss to the Cardinals in the decisive game of that 2011 NLDS, highlighted by an epic pitchers’ duel between Chris Carpenter and Roy Halladay.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak, speaking before the start of this series, called that a “fork in the road.” The Cardinals went on to win that year’s World Series, leading up to Tony La Russa announcing his retirement and Pujols leaving to join the Los Angeles Angels. The Phillies, meanwhile, navigated a 10-year postseason drought. Their dynamic core — of Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard, among others — aged out, triggering a rebuild that didn’t bear fruit as quickly as the fan base hoped.

Joe Girardi replaced Gabe Kapler as the manager for the start of the 2020 season and Dave Dombrowski took over as the head of baseball operations a year later, but the Phillies continued to fade down the stretch and blow opportunities at the playoffs. The stakes were further ratcheted up heading into 2022, when the Phillies splurged a combined $179 million on Nick Castellanos and Schwarber, putting them on track to exceed baseball’s luxury-tax threshold.

But they began the season with a 22-29 record, already 12½ games back in the NL East, prompting Dombrowski to replace Girardi with bench coach Rob Thomson. Under Thomson’s calm demeanor, the Phillies suddenly took off, winning 14 of their next 16 games. By the end of August, they were 15 games above .500 and in firm position in the NL wild-card standings. They lost 10 of their last 14 in September, putting them at risk of losing a spot to the Milwaukee Brewers, but they won three of their first four in October to finally clinch.

The Phillies overcame a managerial change; major struggles from Castellanos; a prolonged absence from the reigning NL MVP, Harper, who missed about two months because of a thumb injury and was relegated to designated hitter for most of the year because of a troublesome elbow; and the loss of their ace, Zack Wheeler, for most of September. But Schwarber led the league in home runs; J.T. Realmuto continued to perform like the game’s best catcher; Wheeler and Nola once again provided them with a dynamic pairing at the top of their rotation; and Jose Alvarado and Zach Eflin emerged as a strong back-end duo.

“It was a lot of challenges thrown at us over the course of the year, where I don’t know that I’ve ever been part of a team or something like that that has gone that many ways against us,” Schwarber said before the start of the playoffs. “I think the biggest thing that you can be proud of is you see how this whole group came together closer, because that was the only way that we were going to be able to keep us in the hunt.”

In Game 1 on Friday, the Phillies got a strong performance from Wheeler and improbably strung together six ninth-inning runs — on zero extra-base hits — to stage a thrilling come-from-behind victory, stunning a sold-out Busch Stadium crowd. In Game 2, Nola turned in the latest brilliant outing, giving up a single to Lars Nootbaar to lead off the game before blowing through the rest of the St. Louis lineup.

Philadelphia will now face a familiar foe, the NL East champion Braves, when their division series begins Tuesday night in Atlanta.

The Cardinals’ elimination triggers the retirements of Pujols and Molina, dear friends who became icons in this city. Pujols, who returned to the Cardinals for his age-42 season, suddenly reemerged as one of baseball’s most feared sluggers in the second half, putting together a .323/.388/.715 slash line and reaching the 700 home run milestone. During that stretch, Molina and Adam Wainwright, who has yet to announce his retirement, set the record for most starts as batterymates with 325.

The Cardinals, under first-year manager Oliver Marmol, reached the playoffs by winning their fifth NL Central title in 10 years. They were bolstered largely by Pujols’ second half, along with MVP-caliber seasons by Goldschmidt and Arenado, a strong defense, a dominant closer in Ryan Helsley and a pitch-to-contact starting rotation that was well-suited for spacious Busch Stadium. Mozeliak called 2022 “a magical year for the St. Louis Cardinals.” But it ended abruptly under Major League Baseball’s new, expanded postseason format — in 18 innings.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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Utes’ Whittingham reenergized after ’24 free fall

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Utes' Whittingham reenergized after '24 free fall

FRISCO, Texas — A dynamic new quarterback, a new offensive system and two projected first-round picks up front have Utah coach Kyle Whittingham feeling enthusiastic about the Utes’ chances of bouncing back from a disastrous debut season in the Big 12.

Utah was voted No. 1 in the Big 12 preseason poll last year after joining from the Pac-12, but a brutal run of injuries and inconsistency resulted in a seven-game conference losing streak and a 5-7 finish — the program’s first losing season since 2013.

After weeks of contemplation about his future and what was best for the program, Whittingham, the third-longest-tenured head coach in FBS, decided in December to return for his 21st season with the Utes.

“The bottom line and the final analysis was I couldn’t step away on that note,” Whittingham told ESPN at Big 12 media days Wednesday. “It was too frustrating, too disappointing. As much as college football has changed with all the other factors that might pull you away, that was the overriding reason: That’s not us, that’s not who we are. It just left a bad taste in my mouth. I did not want to miss the opportunity to try to get that taste out.”

“The bottom line and the final analysis was I couldn’t step away on that note. It was too frustrating, too disappointing. … That’s not us. That’s not who we are. It just left a bad taste in my mouth. I did not want to miss the opportunity to try to get that taste out.”

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham on going 5-7 in 2024

Whittingham and Utes defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley conducted a national search for a new offensive coordinator and quickly zeroed in on New Mexico‘s Jason Beck. Then they managed to land Devon Dampier, Beck’s first-team All-Mountain West quarterback, via the transfer portal.

After finishing 11th nationally in total offense with 3,934 yards and 31 total touchdowns and putting up the fourth-most rushing yards (1,166) among all FBS starters, Dampier followed his coach to Salt Lake City and immediately asserted himself as a difference-maker for a program that had to start four different QBs in 2024.

“He’s a terrific athlete,” Whittingham said. “He’s a guy that, if spring is any indication, he’s an exciting player, and we can’t wait to watch him this season. … He’s got that ‘it’ factor. He’s a leader. Needless to say, very excited to see what he does for us.”

They’ve surrounded Dampier with 21 more newcomers via the transfer portal and will protect him with two returning starters at tackle in Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu, who are projected first-round NFL draft picks by ESPN’s Matt Miller.

“We feel they’re the best tandem in the country,” Whittingham said. “The offensive line in general, I feel, it’s the best since I’ve been there. And that’s quite a statement. We’ve had some really good offensive lines. We’ve got two first-rounders and three seniors inside that have played a lot of good football for us. That better be a strength of ours, and that’s what we’re counting on.”

Whittingham has previously said he did not want to coach past the age of 65. Now that he’s 65, he acknowledges that he might’ve arrived at a different decision about his future had the Utes ended up winning the Big 12 in 2024. He is reenergized about getting them back into contention, but he’s not ready to say whether this season might be his last.

“The best answer I can give you is, right now, I’m excited and passionate about going to work every single day,” Whittingham said. “As soon as that changes, I’ll know it’s time. I’m just counting on knowing when the time is right. I can’t tell you exactly what the circumstances will be other than losing the fire in the belly.”

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MLB to utilize ABS challenge system during ASG

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MLB to utilize ABS challenge system during ASG

The automated ball-strike system is coming to the All-Star Game next week in Atlanta.

MLB officials added the feature to the annual exhibition game knowing it could be a precursor to becoming a permanent part of the major leagues as soon as next year.

The same process used this past spring training will be used for the Midsummer Classic: Each team will be given two challenges with the ability to retain them if successful. Only a pitcher, catcher or hitter can ask for a challenge and it has to happen almost immediately after the pitch. The player will tap his hat or helmet indicating to the umpire he wants to challenge while any help from the dugout or other players on the field is not allowed.

MLB officials say 72% of fans who were polled during spring training said the impact of ABS on their experience at the game was a “positive” one. Sixty-nine percent said they’d like it part of the game moving forward. Just 10% expressed negativity toward it.

MLB’s competition committee will meet later this summer to determine if ABS will be instituted next season after the league tested the robotic system throughout the minor leagues and spring training in recent years. Like almost any rule change, there were mixed reviews from players about using ABS but nearly all parties agree on one point: They prefer a challenge system as opposed to the technology calling every pitch.

As was the case in spring training, once a review is initiated, an animated replay of the pitch will be shown on the scoreboard and the home plate umpire will either uphold the call or overturn it. ABS uses Hawk-Eye system technology which tracks the pitch trajectory and location in relation to the strike zone, providing an instant assessment which can be relayed to the home plate umpire.

The All-Star Game will be played at Truist Park in Atlanta on Tuesday.

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Royals sign former Cy Young winner Keuchel

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Royals sign former Cy Young winner Keuchel

The Kansas City Royals have signed former Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel to a minor league contract, the team announced Wednesday.

The 37-year-old left-hander will start at Triple-A Omaha and will earn a prorated $2 million salary if he reaches the big leagues, sources tell ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

Keuchel has not pitched in the majors for nearly a full calendar year. He elected to become a free agent on July 18, 2024, after being designated for assignment by the Milwaukee Brewers.

In four starts with the Brewers last season, Keuchel had a 5.40 ERA in 16 2/3 innings without a decision. In 13 major league seasons, the 2015 American League Cy Young winner with the Houston Astros is 103-92 with a 4.04 ERA in 282 appearances (267 starts).

After pitching his first seven seasons with the Astros, Keuchel has made appearances for six different teams since 2019. He won a World Series with Houston in 2017 and is a two-time All-Star selection and five-time Gold Glove winner.

Information from Field Level Media was used in this report.

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