Segura atones for error with clutch hit in Phils’ win
PHILADELPHIA — Jean Segura has played 11 seasons in the majors, made two All-Star teams and hit .300 three times, but he has never had an inning quite like the fourth inning of Game 3 of the National League Championship Series on Friday night.
Playing in his first postseason, the Philadelphia Phillies second baseman dropped the relay throw from shortstop Bryson Stott, turning a potential inning-ending double play into a tying run for the San Diego Padres.
In the bottom of the inning, however, he redeemed himself with a clutch, two-out, two-strike, two-run single to give the Phillies a 3-1 lead in a game they would hold on to win 4-2 to take a 2-1 series lead.
“At the end of the day, we’re going to make a mistake,” Segura said. “That’s the play that I’ve probably made 3,000 times in my life, but for some reason I missed it. As a player, you never put your head down. Just keep it up, continue to play the game because you don’t know how the game’s going to end. Maybe that play can affect you through the game.”
Segura, who had made a nice diving stop in the field earlier in the game, would add a second fantastic diving play to rob the speedy Ha-Seong Kim of a hit with two outs and a runner on base to end the seventh. He pumped his arm through the air and kicked his leg in a loud show of emotion.
“I’m fired up,” Segura said. “I don’t know how to explain that, but it’s like Goku, the little Goku, like something, like fire inside my body. Like I just want to get it out, like explosive. If you don’t get emotional with 45,000 people in the stands or 46,000 people in the stands, you’re playing the wrong sport.”
After Segura’s error, the Phillies had a meeting at the mound with starter Ranger Suarez, who would end up getting the win with a solid five innings.
First baseman Rhys Hoskins wasn’t surprised that Segura bounced back from the error.
“He’s a 10- , 11-year professional and enjoying and soaking up every second of this because he’s waited so long and competed for so long, working his tail off for 15-16 straight offseasons most likely, so, no, not surprised at all,” Hoskins said. “Plus, how many big hits have seen him get, right? He had the opportunity to make some really nice plays in the field as well. The first thing he said when we went to the mound after he dropped the ball is, ‘Ranger, give me another one.’ That’s just the type of confidence he has in himself.”
The game did end with some controversy in the top of the ninth inning. After Juan Soto led the inning off with a base hit against Phillies closer Seranthony Dominguez — who was trying to complete just his second two-inning outing of the season — third-base umpire Todd Tichenor rung up Jurickson Profar on a 3-2 checked swing.
Profar, who had already flipped his bat and started his trot to first base, squatted down in disbelief and starting walking toward Tichenor, knocking off his helmet and then kicking it. Home-plate umpire Ted Barrett ejected Profar from the game.
“I thought I didn’t go and it should have been a walk,” said Profar, claiming he wasn’t really even swinging, just trying to get out of the way of a backdoor slider. “I didn’t have a really good chance to see it, but I’m pretty sure I didn’t go. Maybe the bat was in front, but I was just getting out of the way. I didn’t go, I didn’t swing.”
He said he wasn’t worried about a possible suspension.
“No chance, man. MLB doesn’t suspend people for that. We play a game, and we play with emotion. We don’t play soft. We play to win and I play with emotion.”
With the runners on first and second and nobody, the Padres would have had momentum on their side and pressure on Dominguez. Instead, the final two hitters, Trent Grisham and Austin Nola, went down on a pop-up. Dominguez ended up throwing 34 pitches in his two innings, his second-highest total of his season, and recorded the Phillies’ first two-inning save in the postseason since Tug McGraw in 1980.
He’s now pitched 6.1 innings this postseason, allowing just two hits with 13 strikeouts and no walks.
For the pivotal Game 4 on Saturday night, both managers turn to their No. 4 starters — Mike Clevinger for the Padres and Bailey Falter for the Phillies, who drew the assignment over Noah Syndergaard. Clevinger struggled in his one postseason start against the Dodgers in the division series, allowing six hits and five runs in 2.2 innings. This after a 6.52 ERA in six starts in September.
He’s been battling a sore knee, but was able to throw a 35-pitch bullpen on Thursday, the first time in a month he’s been able to do that.
“We’ve had our ups and down,” he said after Game 3. “It’s been some good weeks, some bad weeks, some weeks the knee doesn’t want to do it and lately it’s just kind of been pretty bad towards the end. And then finally this past week, it’s been really, really encouraging.”
Still, the Padres didn’t use any of their top relievers in Game 3 — Nick Martinez, Luis Garcia, Robert Suarez and Josh Hader, so Melvin will have a full pen available to him.
“I’m going until Bob comes and tell me I can’t go anymore.” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said he’ll have to wait and see if Dominguez is available for Game 4.
The hard-throwing right-hander is coming off Tommy John and the Phillies have used him carefully all season.
“We’ll have to check in on Seranthony. That’s the most pitches he’s thrown all year. We got to the point in the game where we had the lead late and we had to go for it.”
CHICAGO — Kyle Tucker had the fans on their feet, roaring and pumping their fists as he rounded the bases after hitting the go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning. His screaming line drive cleared the right-field wall with plenty of room to spare.
The Chicago Cubs went from giving up 10 runs in the eighth to scoring six in the bottom half and beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 13-11 on Friday in one of the wildest games on record.
The two teams combined for 21 runs in the seventh and eighth innings, with the Cubs scoring 11 runs and the D-backs plating 10. It was the first nine-inning game in MLB history in which both teams scored 10 or more runs from the seventh inning on, and the third game overall, according to ESPN Research.
“That’s kind of baseball,” Tucker said. “There’s a lot of ups and downs in this game, especially with how many games we play.”
There haven’t been many games like this, though.
The Cubs are just the seventh team in at least the past 125 seasons to allow 10 or more runs in an inning and win. They are also the fifth team to give up 10 or more runs and score six or more in the same inning.
The 16 combined runs in the eighth were the most in an inning at Wrigley Field, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
“If you’ve seen that one, you’ve been around for a while,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said with a laugh. “It was crazy. You know, we gave up 10 runs in an inning and we won. So it was a wild game, but we kept going, and, you know, there’s 27 outs in a game and this kind of proves it, and you’re just happy to get out with a win.”
On a warm day with the ball carrying, Carson Kelly homered twice. Ian Happ belted a grand slam and Seiya Suzuki went deep, helping the Cubs open a weekend series on a winning note.
“You’ve seen it early — having some tough losses, coming back winning the next day,” Happ said. “Losing the first game of the series, winning the series. Little things like that. Today’s a great example of professional hitters going out there and continuing to have really good at-bats.”
The way things transpired in the final two innings was something to see.
Kelly hit a two-run homer in the second against Corbin Burnes, and Happ came through with his grand slam against Ryne Nelson as part of a five-run seventh. But just when it looked as if the Cubs were in control with a 7-1 lead, things took a wild turn in the eighth.
Eugenio Suarez cut it to 7-5 with a grand slam against Porter Hodge, Geraldo Perdomo singled in a run and Randal Grichuk put Arizona on top by one with a two-run double. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit a three-run homer, making it 11-7.
The crowd of more than 39,000 let the Cubs hear it, but their team regrouped in the bottom half. Bryce Jarvis hit Nico Hoerner leading off and walked Pete Crow-Armstrong before Kelly drove a three-run homer to center. Tucker, the Cubs’ prized offseason addition, came through after Happ singled with one out. Suzuki followed with his drive against Joe Mantiply to give the Cubs a 13-11 lead.
Arizona, which had won five straight, became just the third team over the past 50 seasons to lose a game in which it had a 10-run inning at any point, according to ESPN Research.
“You just got to stay locked in,” Kelly said. “Obviously, you don’t want to … give up 10 in an inning. Obviously, you don’t want to do that. I think the biggest thing is coming back, regrouping and continuing to fight.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Major League Baseball suspended New York Yankees infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. for one game and fined him an undisclosed amount, the result of his actions during Thursday night’s win against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Chisholm was ejected in the seventh inning by plate umpire John Bacon for arguing after a called third strike on a full-count pitch from Mason Montgomery that appeared low.
Minutes later, he posted on his X account, “Not even f—ing close!!!!!” then deleted the post.
“I didn’t think before I had anything that I said was ejectable but after probably,” Chisholm said after the game. “I’m a competitor, so when I go out there and I feel like I’m right and you’re saying something to me that I think doesn’t make sense, I’m going to get fired up and be upset.
“I lost my emotions. I lost my cool. I got to be better than that. … I’m definitely mad at myself for losing my cool.”
Michael Hill, the league’s senior vice president for on-field operations, said Friday’s discipline was for Chisholm’s “conduct, including his violation of Major League Baseball’s Social Media Policy for Major League Players.”
MLB regulations ban the use of electronic devices during games. The social media policy prohibits “displaying or transmitting content that questions the impartiality of or otherwise denigrates a major league umpire.”
Chisholm did appeal the decision, allowing him to play in Friday night’s 1-0 win against the Rays. He started at second base and went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
ARLINGTON, Texas — Shohei Ohtani is away from the Los Angeles Dodgers for the birth of the two-way superstar’s first child.
Manager Dave Roberts said before the Dodgers’ series opener Friday night against the Rangers that Ohtani was with his wife and going on MLB’s paternity list.
“He and Mamiko are expecting at some point. That’s all I know,” Roberts said. “I don’t know when he’s going to come back and I don’t know when they’re going to have the baby, but obviously they’re together in anticipation.”
The 30-year-old Ohtani posted on his Instagram account in late December that he and his 28-year-old wife, a former professional basketball player from his native Japan, were expecting a baby in 2025.
“Can’t wait for the little rookie to join our family soon!” said the Dec. 28 post that included a photo showing the couple’s beloved dog, Decoy, as well as a pink ruffled onesie along with baby shoes and a sonogram that was covered by a baby emoji.
Ohtani can miss up to three games while on paternity leave. The Dodgers have a three-game series in Texas before an off day Monday, then play the Cubs in Chicago on Tuesday.
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