PHILADELPHIA — Jean Segura has played 11 seasons in the majors, made two All-Star teams and hit .300 three times, but he’s never had an inning like the fourth inning of Game 3 of the National League Championship Series on Friday at the evening. .
Playing in his first postseason game, the Philadelphia Phillies second baseman dropped shortstop Bryson Stott’s relief pitch, turning a potential bottom-of-the-inning double play into a tying run for the San Diego Padres.
In the bottom of the inning, however, he redeemed himself with a two-out, two-run, two-run single to give the Phillies a 3-1 lead in a game they would hold on to win 4-2. take a 2-1 series lead.
“At the end of the day, we’re going to make mistakes,” Segura said. “That’s the play 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. You just keep going, keep playing because you don’t. You know how the game is going to end. . Maybe this game can affect you during the game.”
Segura, who had made a nice diving save in the outfield earlier in the game, would add a second great 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 in the air and kicked his leg in a strong display of excitement.
“I’m angry,” Segura said. “I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s like Goku, little Goku, like something, like fire inside my body. Like I just want to get it out, like an explosive. If you don’t get excited 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 on the mound with starter Ranger Suarez, who would end up getting the win with five solid innings.
First baseman Rhys Hoskins wasn’t surprised Segura recovered from the error.
“He’s a 10- and 11-year pro and he’s enjoying and taking advantage of every second of it because he’s waited so long and competed for so long, working his way through probably 15-16 straight seasons, so, no, I’m not surprised. everything,” Hoskins said. “Plus, how many big hits have we seen him make, haven’t we? He had a chance to make some really nice plays in the outfield, too. The first thing he said when we went to the mound after he dropped the ball was, ” Ranger, give me another one. That’s just the kind of confidence he has in himself.”
The game ended with some controversy in the top of the ninth inning. After Josh Bell led 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 baseman Todd Tichenor walked Jurickson Profar with a swing scored 3-2. .
Profar, who had already swung the bat around and started jogging to first base, ducked in disbelief and began walking toward Tichenor, throwing off his helmet and then kicking him. Referee Ted Barrett ejected Profar from the game.
“I thought he wasn’t going and it should have been a walk,” Profar said, claiming he wasn’t even swinging, just trying to get away from a backdoor slider. “I didn’t get a good chance to see it, but I’m pretty sure I didn’t go. Maybe the bat was in front, but I was just moving 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,” Profar said.
If Profar had walked, the Padres would have had momentum on their side and pressure on Domínguez with runners on first and second and nobody out. Instead, the last two batters, Trent Grisham and Austin Nola, went down on a pop-up and a strikeout. Dominguez ended up throwing 34 pitches over his two innings, his second-highest total of the season, and recorded the Phillies’ first two-inning save in the postseason since Tug McGraw in 1980.
He has now pitched 6⅓ innings this postseason, allowing just two hits with 13 strikeouts and no walks.
For Saturday night’s crucial Game 4, both managers are turning to their No. 4 starters: Mike Clevinger for the Padres and Bailey Falter for the Phillies, who relieved Noah Syndergaard. Clevinger struggled in his postseason start against the Dodgers in the division series, allowing six hits and five runs in 2⅔ innings. That’s after a 6.52 ERA in six starts in September.
He has been battling a sore knee, but was able to throw a 35-pitch bullpen Thursday for the first time in a month.
“We’ve had our ups and downs,” Clevinger 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 been pretty bad going into the finals. And finally , last week, has been very, very encouraging.”
Still, the Padres didn’t use any of their top relievers — Nick Martinez, Luis Garcia, Robert Suarez and Josh Hader — in Game 3, so Melvin will have a full bullpen available Saturday.
“I go until Bob comes and tells me I can’t go anymore,” Clevinger said.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson said he will have to wait and see if Dominguez is available for Game 4. The hard-throwing right-hander is coming off Tommy John surgery and the Phillies have used him sparingly throughout the season
“We’ll have to check on Seranthony,” Thomson said. “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 get it.”