Phillies Overcome 'Illness' With Yet Another Iconic Win This Season

The Philadelphia Phillies have been red-hot as of late, and it's their recent run that is igniting Red October once again.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

It would have been easy for the Philadelphia Phillies to mail things in on Tuesday.

While the celebration was coined as a bit more "workmanlike" by some of the media members in the clubhouse who were observing the festivities that were taking place by the back-to-back NL East champions on Monday night, no one would have blamed them for not being sharp the following contest.

That was the case early on. Shohei Ohtani had a no-hitter through five innings, and even though the Phillies were getting good contact off of the phenom, they weren't able to put a ball in play. That coincided with Cristopher Sanchez getting touched up a bit, with Philadelphia trailing 4-0 entering the latter stages of the game.

But the Dodgers pulled Ohtani and the Phillies pounced immediately with an eruption for six runs in the sixth inning that was punctuated by Brandon Marsh's three-run homer off a left-handed pitcher to give them a lead and Max Kepler's little bat flip on a solo shot that same frame.

Maximum style points here pic.twitter.com/aS7n29Ln9D

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) September 17, 2025

Again, it would have been easy for the Phillies to roll over in this one.

The term "hangover lineup" is widely used across baseball when star players are not in the lineup the day after clinching the division due to celebrations. But that wasn't the case for Philadelphia, who had eight of their nine starters in the lineup like it was a normal Tuesday night game. The only usual starter who wasn't in was J.T. Realmuto, who Rob Thomson said was dealing with an "illness."

It turns out that not having Realmuto available might have been a blessing for one night only, because Rafael Marchan turned in the biggest moment of his Phillies career when he blasted a three-run homer in the top of the ninth inning that gave Philadelphia the lead and won them the game.

WE'RE MARCHÁN BACK OUT IN FRONT pic.twitter.com/y0YsUudrh5

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) September 17, 2025

Marchan, who was supposed to be used more often this season to give Realmuto extra days off, has not gotten much playing time at all this year because Realmuto has had a resurgent season of sorts. That has made it difficult for him to produce during the rare instances he's been given a game to play. However, even after celebrating in the clubhouse with his teammates on Monday night after they clinched the division, he was more than up for this opportunity.

"I'm ready," Marchan said, per Matt Gelb of The Athletic (subscription required) after being told he was starting on Tuesday. "(expletive) it, let's go. Let's do it."

The irony is that if Realmuto wasn't feeling sick then Marchan likely wouldn't have had that moment since Thomson would have called upon the veteran star in that pinch-hit scenario. But instead, this moment is now the latest example of something that has become emblematic of this team as of late.

Phillies Have Their Sights Set On Much Larger Goal

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

One of the prevailing tones that shone through during the celebrations on Monday was the fact that winning the division was just the first step in what they were trying to accomplish. And by rolling out a lineup that had almost all of the usual starters, that message was on display for everyone to see.

The Phillies have dug deep on countless occasions during this red-hot stretch following their disheartening sweep at Citi Field that is now a footnote in their season. For an offense that was maligned at times for their lack of production, all of a sudden, they have reminded everyone just how lethal they are.

Things feel different right now than how they did at the same time last year. While Zack Wheeler won't be available to pitch and Trea Turner, Alec Bohm and Edmundo Sosa are on the injured list, the confidence this group is playing with has reignited hope amongst the fanbase for Red October after it felt like the championship window might have closed.

But perhaps more than anything, this feels like a true team.

"I was ready to run on the field like we were in the bottom of the ninth," Brandon Marsh said about Marchan's home run. "It was a whole lot of fun. It was a hell of an at-bat."

Tuesday night was the latest example of how this team is operating, with them overcoming what self-induced illnesses they might have had from the night before by putting together yet another iconic victory that was powered by an unlikely source.