April 30, 2026
Bill Streicher/Imagn Images
Phillies rookie CF Justin Crawford's walkoff infield RBI single in the second game of a three-game series made sure Don Mattingly would win his first series as Phils manager.
Before this week, the last time the Phillies had won a series was more than three weeks ago, against the Colorado Rockies, in Denver, on Easter weekend.
Before Thursday, the last time the Phillies had a walkoff win came just a few days before that series against Colorado.
So much had happened in between, including six straight lost series, a three-game sweep to the rival Braves followed by a four-game sweep to the Cubs, an overall 10-game losing streak, a total breakdown in every facet, and the firing of manager Rob Thomson on Tuesday before the start of a three-game set against the Giants.
But ironically, the same person who delivered that walk-off win on April 1 did it again 29 days later to make sure the Phils would start off Don Mattingly's new managerial career on the right track, and another late rally in the second game of Thursday's doubleheader earned the clean sweep.
After Bryson Stott tied the opening game of the doubleheader in the ninth with a breakthrough triple to the right-field corner that plated Adolis García, Justin Crawford legged out a two-out infield single on a grounder that was backhanded by shortstop Willy Adames, whose off-balance throw to first took one too many bounces as the speedy Crawford made it safely while Stott crossed home plate for the game-winner.
The @Phillies have 2 walk-off wins this season.
— MLB (@MLB) April 30, 2026
BOTH are courtesy of Justin Crawford! https://t.co/W7uNk0Vr1C pic.twitter.com/LvLTbQmDgW
Crawford was the one who delivered that walkoff hit on April 1. And if you think it was bizarre that the center fielder would be the guy to deliver their first one since, you'll love this nugget from longtime MLB Insider Jayston Stark, of The Athletic:
April 8, 2014 - Carl Crawford gets walkoff hit for the Dodgers. His manager: Don Mattingly
— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) April 30, 2026
April 30, 2026 - Justin Crawford gets walkoff hit for the Phillies. His manager: Don Mattingly
Baseball! pic.twitter.com/bWc1NDLB0r
Somewhat like Wednesday's series-clincher from Flyers defenseman Cam York against the Pens in Game 6 just down the street, Crawford's late-game heroics delivered something his team needed badly and had been waiting too long for – a guaranteed series win and, more importantly, a sign of hope for the future.
The Phillies had won 7-0 Tuesday night in Mattingly's debut and were supposed to be playing around the same time as their hockey counterparts Wednesday but rain postponed the game, allowing a group of Phils to head down the street and perhaps find some motivation.
Phillies players got booed while in attendance at the Flyers' game.
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) April 30, 2026
(Via: @JClarkNBCS) pic.twitter.com/FOStiwx7Bq
On Thursday, the Phils showcased their own dramatic magic, rallying behind Crawford's game-winner in the opener and then doing it again in the evening, with Kyle Schwarber erasing a one-run deficit in the ninth on a two-out double to right that plated Brandon Marsh before Alec Bohm's sac fly in the 10th plated García for another walk-off win.
Here’s a look at the top performers in the series, and just a few who struggled:
García's two-run double Tuesday night in the sixth extended the lead to 4-0. On Thursday, in the cleanup spot again, he went 2-for-4 with no hit bigger – and yet shorter – than his leadoff infield single against Giants closer Ryan Walker in the ninth with the Phils down 2-1, the necessary kickstart for the Philes' two-run rally capped by Crawford's game-winner. In the nightcap came a two-run single in the fifth for a 4-2 lead. It seemed fitting that he was the runner on second to start the extra inning and scored the game-winner on Bohm's flyout to center.
García, who needs to be this team's right-handed source of run production in the four hole, also didn't strike out in the entire series and walked twice, which might be his most significant development. He's also playing with infectious enthusiasm.
We have more on how much you should actually trust the Phillies' starting rotation after an awful April, but they got the job done against a bad Giants offense. Jesús Luzardo set the tone on the day the Phils fired Thomson, firing a two-hitter over seven innings and striking out eight. Cris Sánchez shook off a rough first inning Thursday and authored another Citizens Bank Park special, allowing just two runs on four hits and fanning seven in 6.2 innings – only one hit allowed from the second inning to the seventh.
The slugger clubbed his 350th career homer Thursday in the bottom of the first in true Schwarbarian style – a titanic 350-foot shot into the upper mezzanine of right field, trimming San Francisco’s lead to 2-1.
Kyle Schwarber crushes career home run No. 350! pic.twitter.com/ho8KF9zCX6
— MLB (@MLB) April 30, 2026
In the nightcap, he hammered another one, 446 feet to center field to follow a leadoff homer from Trea Turner, part of a four-hit effort that included a game-tying RBI double in the ninth that he nine-ironed to the right, plating Marsh from third. Why the Giants even pitched to him with first base open made no sense.
Schwatber had five hits in the series – four in doubleheader – to finally get his average above .200. But his on base percentage is right around his career average and his 11 homers lead the National League. He's doing his job. He also started in left field in the late game Thursday and nearly threw a runner out at home.
What did we learn about Donnie Baseball as new Phillies manager? For starters, he's got a quick hook. He lifted both Luzardo in Game 1 and Sanchez in Game 2 before either even got to the 90-pitch mark. That was an interesting reliance on a bullpen that's been beat up and shaky, but the Phillies won both games, so the moves worked. Let's see if he was just making sure two struggling starters left the game with confidence or a sign of Mattingly's managing style. For now, he's 3-0 – and that sure beats the alternative. Mattingly also showed no fear of small ball, having Stott sac bunt twice in the night game with the struggling Bohm behind him. It worked out pretty well that second time.
The Phillies really need Turner to get back to 2025 form and set the tone as the leadoff hitter if they're going to have any chance of getting back on track. Amazingly, Turner led off an inning four times in each of the first two games of the series. On Tuesday, he went 4-for-5, scored twice and drove in a run. After an 0-fer in the opener of Thursday's double dip, he responded with a homer in his leadoff at bat in the night game and went 2-for-5 in the game, although he grounded into a double play in the ninth that deflated his overall series just a little. He needs to get that .317 on base percentage up.
For the most part, the bullpen was OK and was tasked to pitch the second game of the doubleheader. Bowlan couldn't protect a 4-2 lead in the nightcap, allowing a run in the fourth and issuing a leadoff walk in the fifth that would eventually score and tie the game. Bowlan's era ballooned to 5.63. He just hasn't been as effective as the Phillies had hoped when they dealt Matt Strahm to Kansas City for him.
Alvarado's job is to get hitters out in high-leverage situations, especially left-handers. He's been doing the opposite. With the score tied at 4-4 in the ninth, one out and a runner on first, Alvarado came into the game and allowed a single to Rafael Devers that moved Casey Schmitt to third. He struck out Willy Adames for the second out but then allowed a hard single to center to left-hander Jung Hoo Lee as the Giants took the 5-4 lead.
Yes, he had the game-winning sac fly to complete the sweep, but it wasn't a great overall series for him. It appeared he might be coming out of it when he went 2-for-4 on Tuesday with a double. But he sat the opener of the doubleheader and then went 0-for-4 in the night game, with three groundouts and a strikeout. He had García on second base in the eighth as the go-ahead run after García had drawn a lead-off walk and was sacrificed over by Stott, but the best Bohm could do was move García to third, where he was stranded. But, hey, he got the flyout they needed at an important time – maybe something on which to build.
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