The Philadelphia Phillies needed a spark late in Friday night’s nail-biter against the Oaklamento Athletics, and center fielder Johan Rojas delivered what might go down as one of the best defensive plays of the MLB season.

With two outs in the bottom of the eighth and the tying run on third base, Tyler Soderstrom drove a deep line drive into center field. Rojas, initially turned around, sprinted backward toward the warning track and, at the last moment, made a sensational over-the-shoulder catch while tumbling to the ground in front of the wall. The play ended the inning and preserved the Phillies' slim 1-0 lead at the time. According to Statcast, the catch had just an 11% probability of being made — making it one of the lowest-percentage successful grabs of the year.

As Rojas popped up from the turf with the ball secure in his glove, reliever Matt Strahm tipped his cap walking off the mound. The play not only saved the lead but also helped secure Philadelphia’s eighth consecutive win, a 4-3 victory at Sutter Health Park.

“I don’t know how he caught that,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said postgame. “That’s a game-changer right there.”

Phillies hold on to beat A's after another dominant start

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Johan Rojas (23) looks on before the game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citizens Bank Park.
Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

That one moment of brilliance underscored what’s been a dominant stretch of play for the Phillies, who have now won 12 of their last 13 road games and improved to 16-10 away from Citizens Bank Park — tied with the Cubs for the best road mark in baseball.

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Before the defensive fireworks, Trea Turner set the tone with a leadoff home run, his fourth of the year and first ever as a Phillie. That solo shot, a 426-foot blast to center, gave ace Zack Wheeler early support and proved critical.

Wheeler continued to pitch like a frontrunner for the NL Cy Young, going 6⅔ shutout innings. He didn’t allow a hit to any of the seven batters he faced with runners on base and extended his scoreless streak to 22⅔ innings. His fastball touched 98 mph, and he mixed in all six of his pitches with pinpoint control.

“He’s just different when he’s locked in,” said Phillies infielder Bryson Stott. “You think you’ve seen everything, and then he throws something else at you the third time through.”

After Wheeler exited with two runners on in the seventh, Orion Kerkering struck out Luis Urías to end the threat. Strahm worked a clean eighth, aided by Rojas’ heroics, and the Phillies added three key insurance runs in the top of the ninth on RBI hits from Alec Bohm, Rojas, and Turner.

Those runs proved vital. Closer Jordan Romano gave up a three-run homer to A’s rookie Nick Kurtz in the bottom of the ninth, but Tanner Banks eventually closed it out for his first save as a Phillie.

Philadelphia is now 33-18, riding their longest win streak since manager Rob Thomson’s debut in 2022, and showing no signs of slowing down. With elite pitching, timely offense, and defense like Rojas’ grab, the Phillies look every bit like a World Series contender.