Four nights ago, he called it the biggest at-bat of his life.
This was the biggest game of his life.
Cal Stevenson delivered his second late game-winner of the week, hitting a go-ahead two-run double in the seventh inning Saturday, then leaping over the wall in center field to rob J.D. Martinez of a game-tying homer 10 minutes later.
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Stevenson perfectly tracked and timed Martinez' deep flyball to begin the top of the eighth, catching it in the palm of his glove to preserve the Phillies' lead in a 6-4 win over the Mets.
"It kinda moves in slow motion just because when it's up there, you know you have time," he said. "Thank god I squeezed onto it. I think I almost over-jumped to catch it."
The 28-year-old reserve outfielder was also the hero on Tuesday night, hitting the game-winning two-run double with one out in the eighth against the Rays. Stevenson was recalled last week from Triple A and is making the most of increased playing time with Austin Hays sidelined by a kidney infection.
"That one tops it, that one for sure tops it," Stevenson said of Saturday compared to Tuesday. "It's been a good (week). It feels good to contribute this late in the year to this team. We're fighting for a 1-seed and the best record in baseball. Obviously, I don't get a whole lot of opportunities, so when I do get in there, you want to make the most of them."
Philadelphia Phillies
The big guns like Bryce Harper and Trea Turner have come through for the Phillies this week but they've won four of five games largely because their depth pieces have stepped up. On Monday, Buddy Kennedy and Kody Clemens keyed the walk-off. On Tuesday and Saturday, Stevenson provided the late lead. On Wednesday, Weston Wilson had the game-winning infield hit and third-string catcher Aramis Garcia nailed a runner trying to steal second with nobody out in the ninth inning of a one-run game.
"I said to (Cal) today, I said to Buddy the other day, I said if you can take those at-bats in that situation, you can take any at-bat in your career," Harper relayed. "In that moment, 40,000-plus people, big situation, I think that's why we rely so heavily on our young guys, on guys like that, because we know that they can come through. I don't think the moment was too big at all."
Saturday's win evened the Phillies' series with the Mets and improved them to 89-59 with 14 games to play. It looked for a while like a loss before Harper provided two huge jolts of energy to the dugout and sellout crowd of 44,563, finally ending a five-week personal home run drought with two in the span of two innings.
Harper went 128 plate appearances from August 9 through Saturday without a homer. He's been ripping the ball all week at Citizens Bank Park but settling for doubles (and a single) off the wall.
"I don't think I missed anything. I don't understand how the ball's not going," he said on Tuesday after doubling three times. "You hit it at 108 (mph) at 20 or 22 (degrees) and it's not going outta the yard. I've never seen that at The Bank."
It all ended in the bottom of the fourth Saturday when Harper sent a solo shot over the wall in left-center against Luis Severino. Batting in the bottom of the sixth, he cracked a no-doubter to right field, a two-run shot and his 28th of the year.
Excluding Harper, the Phillies had been 1-for-18 over the first six innings but put two men on base quickly in the seventh with consecutive singles by Bryson Stott and J.T. Realmuto. Brandon Marsh bunted foul for strike one but then laid a nice one down the third-base line to advance both runners. The successful sacrifice bunt has eluded the Phillies much of the year, and players like Marsh and Johan Rojas could find themselves in an important sacrifice opportunity in the postseason.
Wilson struck out looking for the second out of the seventh and Stevenson fell behind in the count 1-2 against 99 mph-throwing righty Reid Garrett before lacing his double off the wall in right. He received a massive ovation when catching the final out of the eighth, three batters after robbing Martinez. Realmuto provided insurance with a two-out RBI double in the bottom half.
The Phillies are 21-9 against the other five teams in National League playoff position, far better than any of the rest. The Padres are 20-20, the Diamondbacks are 18-21, the Dodgers are 19-23, the Mets are 14-17 and the Brewers are 10-12.
The Phils go for the series win on Sunday at 1:35 p.m. Cristopher Sanchez (10-9, 3.33) starts opposite left-hander David Peterson (9-2, 2.98).
"We're ahead of them eight games but there's still some time left and we're trying to create some space between them," Stevenson said. "That one felt good just to come through for the guys, especially with two outs late in the game."