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The Philadelphia Phillies entered the top of the ninth inning trailing the Washington Nationals 8-6 after Orion Kerkering gave up a three-run home run to blow the lead late in the game.
All momentum disappeared, and that was even more the case when Philadelphia’s first two batters struck out to start the ninth inning. Trea Turner, the team’s reliable veteran shortstop was on his last strike, as it looked like the Phillies were going to fall to their NL East rival.
But the fat lady wasn’t singing at Nationals Park for the Phillies. In fact, Trea Turner kept the game alive with a single to center field.
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Bryson Stott of the Philadelphia Phillies hits a three-run home run against the Washington Nationals during the ninth inning at Nationals Park in Washington, DC, on June 23, 2026. (Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
What followed wasn’t just a play to tie the game. Brandon Marsh did that in the next at-bat with a two-run home run. Instead, Marsh’s bomb opened the floodgates for the Phillies to score eight runs in the top of the ninth inning to absolutely stun the Nationals and their home crowd in a miraculous 14-9 victory Tuesday night.
It was the Phillies’ ninth-highest scoring inning since September 27, 2015, when they also scored eight runs against these same Nationals. However, what made this rally especially notable was that each run came with two outs.
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After Marsh’s home run, Bryce Harper kept the rally alive with a single as the Phillies looked to take the lead. Derek Hill then added a single, giving Bryson Stott a chance to do so for the first time since the top of the eighth when Philadelphia scored three.
Stott couldn’t have been more decisive in that moment, launching a ball down the left field line and leaning to his left in hopes it would land on the right side of the foul pole. He did just that, and Stott’s three-run homer took the crowd’s breath away as the Phillies took an 11-8 lead.
But the attack did not end. The Phillies couldn’t help but rally, as Edmundo Sosa drove in two more runs to make the score 13-8, and Turner came up to bat again where he singled off Sosa.
Chase Shugart and JT Realmuto of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrate after the final out against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park in Washington, DC, on June 23, 2026. (Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
Finally, Marsh struck out to end the inning, but the Nationals and their fan base were completely despondent heading into the bottom of the ninth. Luis García Jr. hit a solo home run to improve his own statistics, but the Nationals fell after a dramatic collapse that they will want to forget very quickly.
The Nationals allowed 10 consecutive batters to reach base, eight of them on hits, including three extra-base hits and the two pivotal home runs. JT Realmuto and Justin Crawford also walked during the rally.
While it’s still early in the season, it was a pivotal game in terms of the NL East standings, as the Phillies are now 43-36, six games behind the first-place Atlanta Braves. However, the Nationals are not far behind, sitting just 2.5 games behind the Phillies with a 41-39 record. The Miami Marlins have the same record as Washington.
Brandon Marsh of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates with teammate Trea Turner after hitting a two-run home run against the Washington Nationals during the ninth inning at Nationals Park in Washington, DC, on June 23, 2026. (Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
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Baseball is a game of momentum, but what the Phillies showed in the nation’s capital was much more than that. They took the “not until the last out” mantra and ran with it to put together a crazy eight-run finish that the team will be talking about for quite some time.
