The Philadelphia Phillies got a wild win on Monday night, in a walk-off over the Boston Red Sox. A catcher interference call went against the Red Sox in the 10th inning with the bases loaded for the Phillies. Edmundo Sosa had a check swing on a 2-2 pitch, that ended up contacting the catcher's glove.
Following the crazy victory, Sosa explained how it felt to win the game for his club.
“To be honest, this feels exactly like a home run,” Sosa said through an interpreter, per ESPN. “The most important thing about it is that we end up winning the game, and that's what we went out to do.”
This is the first walk-off game decided on a catcher interference call since 1971, according to the outlet.
“I felt my barrel was a little late on the pitch,” Sosa added. “And as I go through my swing path, I feel like I hit the catcher's glove. And I told the ump that I think I felt something, and I started signaling in the dugout.”
The Phillies are now 57-43 with the win, as they are engaged in a battle with the New York Mets for first in the National League East.
The Phillies will remember this victory
If Philadelphia does hold on to win the division this season, this game will be remembered as one of the reasons why. The ending truly surprised just about everyone in the dugout.
“There's two things this year that I've never seen before in 40 years,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “One is a walk-off inside-the-park home run, and one is a walk-off catcher's interference.”
The bottom of the 10th inning was also very strange. The Phillies ended up loading the bases, without putting a ball in play. An automatic runner was added to second, and then a series of walks was all that was needed to set up Sosa's big play.
“It's strange,” Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler said. “People always say, I've never seen that before on a baseball field. It's just another one. I'm wondering how many more times you can say that.”
Philadelphia plays the Red Sox again on Tuesday. The Phillies have won just four of their last 10 contests.