The Padres and Phillies battled through a tight ninth inning that saw Jose Alvarado walk the first two batters, putting San Diego in a great position to tie or take the lead. Alvarado struggled with command early, missing his spots and falling behind in counts. When Gary Sánchez walked on a 3-1 count, Phillies manager Rob Thomson briefly considered a bunt with two on and no outs but let his hitters swing away. The next batter hit a potential double play ball, but they couldn’t turn it cleanly, leaving runners on the corners with one out.
Facing a dangerous righty who crushes lefty relievers, Alvarado got aggressive. He mixed high-velocity cutters and fastballs, including a nasty overlay that froze the batter for a swinging strikeout. With two outs, Ha-Seong Kim stepped in. He worked the count full, and it looked like Fernando Tatis Jr. might get a chance with the bases loaded. But Alvarado dropped a breaking pitch on a full count that Kim fouled off awkwardly, clearly fooled. Final pitch caught Kim off guard again, ending the game on a swinging strikeout. J.T. Realmuto and the Phillies dugout erupted in celebration, fired up by the tight escape.