Now, if they lose just one game, they will be unable to advance to the World Series for the first time in 22 years since 2001. ‘KBO reverse export legend’ Meryl Kelly (Arizona Diamondbacks) takes the mound in Game 6, carrying the team’s fate on her shoulders.
The Arizona Diamondbacks lost 1-6 in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series (best of 7) against the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2023 Major League Postseason held at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, USA on the 22nd (Korean time).
Arizona, which had won games 3 and 4 in a row after losing games 1 and 2, lost the fateful game 5 and was at a disadvantage of 2 wins and 3 losses. Games 6 and 7 will be held at Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia’s home, and if Arizona loses by one loss, its challenge to advance to the World Series for the first time in 22 years since 2001 when Byung-Hyun Kim was active will be defeated.
Jack Gallon, the trusted starting pitcher, could not withstand Philadelphia’s firepower. They gave up 2 points in the first inning and took it upon themselves to be dragged down. With Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper on hits with 2 outs and runners on first and second base, he gave up a timely hit to Bryson Stott for an RBI, and a double steal that caught the opponent off guard resulted in an error on second baseman Ketel Marte’s throw home, allowing an additional run.
Gallon regained stability in the second inning and suppressed additional runs until the fifth inning, but the batting line completely failed to target Philadelphia starter Jack Wheeler. A weakened Gallen allowed solo home runs to leaders Schwarber and Harper each in the 6th inning, and left the mound with 6 hits (2 home runs), 2 walks, 1 strikeout, and 4 runs in 6 innings.
Arizona’s only score was one in the 7th inning. Follow-up hits were missed in numerous opportunities, including the 1st inning with 1 out and 1st and 3rd base, the 3rd inning with 1 out and 1st base, the 4th inning with 2 outs and 1st base, the 5th inning with 1 out and 3rd base, and the 6th inning with 1 out and 3rd base, and fell behind 0-4. It wasn’t until the 7th inning that Alec Thomas’ solo home run made up for one run. 1st base with no outs in the 8th inning, and 1st and 3rd bases with 2 outs in the 9th inning also did not lead to a score.
Arizona will rest for a day on the 23rd and then move to Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia’s home stadium, on the 24th to play Game 6, which may be the last game of this fall. In order to advance to the World Series for the first time in 22 years since 2001, both games 6 and 7 must be won.
The starting card that Arizona, which is on the edge of a cliff, brought out is Kelly. Kelly, who is already in his 5th year in the major leagues, has a season record of 12 wins, 8 losses, and an ERA of 3.29 in 30 games, helping Arizona finish second in the West Division (84 wins, 78 losses) and advance to the championship series this year. On the 8th, he started Game 1 of the division series against the Los Angeles Dodgers and won with a pitching pitch of 6⅓ innings, allowing 3 hits, 2 walks, striking out 5, and allowing no runs.
However, his memories of the Championship Series are not good. He started in Game 2 against Philadelphia on the 18th, but became the losing pitcher after allowing 3 hits (3 home runs), 3 walks, 6 strikeouts, and 4 runs in 5⅔ innings. After resting for five days, he takes the mound in Game 6 and plays a return match with Philadelphia starter Aaron Nola. Nola earned the victory on the 18th with 6 innings, 3 hits, no walks, 7 strikeouts, and no runs.
Local media reported that Arizona’s fall fate was in the hands of Kelly, the starter for Game 6. Arizona Central, an American media outlet in Arizona, said on the 22nd, “The Diamondbacks will hand the ball to Kelly under pressure and the hope that the series can head to Game 7. However, Games 6 and 7 will be another difficult challenge for Arizona.” It will be. “Philadelphia has won all six of its home games this postseason,” he predicted.굿모닝토토
Kelly was in charge of a one-two punch for the SK Wyverns (currently SSG Landers) in the KBO League from 2015 to 2018. He left with a total of 119 games over 4 seasons, 48 wins, 32 losses, and an ERA of 3.86, including 16 wins in 2017, and thanks to this, he achieved his dream of becoming a big leaguer by signing a 2+2 year contract with Arizona in the 2019 season. In May of last year, he signed a two-year contract extension worth $18 million.
According to MLB.com, the official Major League Baseball website, the probability of advancing to the next series for the team with a 3-2 advantage in the postseason of the best-of-seven Major League Baseball series is 71% (79/112). The probability of the team that won game 5 with 2 wins and 2 losses advancing to the next series is also the same at 71% (46/65). Attention is focused on whether Kelly can save Arizona, which is pushed to the brink.