“In my opinion, Merrill Kelly (35) pitched too well in Game 6.”
The Arizona Diamondbacks advanced to the World Series with a 4-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series (NLCS) of the 2023 Major League Baseball postseason at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., on June 25.
It was their first World Series appearance in 22 years. Arizona last reached the World Series in 2001 under Byung-hyun “BK” Kim, 44, and hasn’t been back since.
The National League Championship Series was a tightly contested series that went down to the final seven games. The Phillies won Games 1 and 2 before Arizona took Games 3 and 4 to tie the series.
In a fateful Game 5, Philadelphia won to advance to the World Series. Arizona was one loss away from a World Series berth.
With the game on the line, Arizona sent KBO veteran Merrill Kelly to the mound to start Game 6. Kelly pitched with poise, even with a heavy shoulder. She was shaky in the first and second innings, giving up three walks, but kept the damage to a minimum (one run).
After regaining his form in the third inning, Kelly retired the side in order in both the fourth and fifth innings to earn the win. In the bottom of the fifth, Kelly handed the baton to Ryan Thompson.
When Arizona manager Torrey Lovullo told Kelly to stop pitching as he came off the mound to close out the fifth inning, Kelly expressed his disappointment. The bullpen held the Phillies scoreless to secure the win.
It was the first Championship Series win of Kelly’s major league career. Kelly’s performance sent the game to a seventh game, which Arizona won 4-2 in Game 7 to advance to the World Series.
Arizona’s pitching staff held a Philadelphia offense that had hit 10 home runs in Game 5 to just one in Games 6 and 7. Kelly didn’t allow a single home run in Game 6. 굿모닝토토
Trey Turner and Bryce Harper have been Philadelphia’s hottest hitting “duo” in the postseason, but Turner and Harper were both quiet in Game 2, going 0-for-8 and 0-for-7, respectively.
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