PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies won 7-6 on Sunday in 12 innings on a Derek Hill walk-off single. “Third time’s the charm,” he said to the television camera as the Phillies celebrated the victory. Hill is referring to the three opportunities he had to drive in a runner in scoring position. He struck out as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning with Alec Bohm on second following a double and flew out to right field with Brandon Marsh on second and Bohm on third.
His third at-bat in the 12th came with the bases loaded and one out thanks to a decision from Blue Jays manager John Schneider. With runners at first and third with one out, Schneider intentionally walked Bohm to load the bases.
Bohm on Sunday had a good day, going 2-for-4 with a double, but in the same exact situation, first and third with one out and the go-ahead run at third base in the 10th, Bohm hit a pop up in foul territory for the second out. Schneider intentionally walked Marsh in front of him to get to Bohm. The inning ended with Hill lining out to right field.
But in the 12th inning, Schneider held up four fingers as Bohm walked up to the plate. For anyone that has watched the Phillies for an extended period of time this year, it seemed like a shocking decision in the moment.
Bohm did enter the game with an impressive .852 OPS with runners in scoring position, but he is tied for third in the Major Leagues with 16 double plays. And his late-game at-bats in the Blue Jays series have not been pretty.
With runners on second and third with one out and the Phillies down by a run in the ninth inning on Friday, Bohm swung at the first pitch and grounded into a force out at home with the infield in and was visibly frustrated after the at-bat.
Schneider’s decision backfired, as Hill singled past the diving shortstop Andrés Gimenez for the game-winning run.
After the game, Schneider explained that he preferred to go after Hill and either Edmundo Sosa or Bryan De La Cruz, the potential pinch-hitters for Garrett Stubbs if the leadoff spot came up again. Kyle Schwarber, who homered twice in the win, was replaced by Stubbs in the 10th when he reached third base. Stubbs tagged up at third on a Luis Arraez fly ball, but was thrown out at the plate for the final out of the inning.
“I’m going off track record a little bit, nothing against anyone,” Schneider said. “These guys are all big leaguers and you’re just trying to hunt outs. Hill’s a tough guy to double up. With Schwarber out of the game, you know, you take your chances with him and probably De La Cruz or Sosa. (Reliever Lazaro Estrada) pitching for the first time in his career three days in a row, it’s tough. So you’re just hunting outs, really. You’re hoping a ball goes at somebody and just trying to go after guys that may be not as accomplished as some others. That was it, but Hill had a good approach and hit the ball well.”
It was a grind for both sides. The two teams combined to use 11 relievers in the three-and-a-half hour contest. Both bullpens were running on fumes. The Blue Jays have gone to extra innings four times in the last five games. They’ve also played in three different cities in those five games.
Maybe that has something to do with Schneider’s decision-making late in the game.
“I’m tired,” Schneider said. “If me and the staff are tired, imagine how the players are feeling. They’re gassed. They’re leaving it all out there. It’s a tough stretch, but we’re playing good.
Tom Dockery
August 10, 2026 at 2:36 pm
What few people outside of the game realize is that the zombie runner affects the game from about the 6th inning on and not just in the extra innings.
With the possibility of a seemingly endless marathon remote,managers can exhaust their pen much earlier,no longer needing to save a long reliever.The rule also allows starters to let it all hang out.