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The Philadelphia Phillies entered the top of the ninth inning trailing the Washington Nationals 8-6 after Orion Kerkering allowed a three-run homer to blow the lead late in the game.
All momentum was taken away, and it was even more so when Philadelphia’s first two batters struck out to start the ninth inning. Trea Turner, the team’s stalwart veteran shortstop, was down to his final strike, as it looked like the Phillies were going to fall to their NL East rival.
But the fat lady wasn’t singing at Nationals Park for the Phillies. In fact, Trea Turner kept the game alive with a single to center field.
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Bryson Stott of the Philadelphia Phillies hits a three-run home run against the Washington Nationals during the ninth inning at Nationals Park in Washington, DC on June 23, 2026. (Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
What followed wasn’t just a rally to even the score. Brandon Marsh did it in the next at-bat with a two-run homer. Instead, Marsh’s bomb opened the floodgates for the Phillies to score eight runs in the top of the ninth inning to absolutely stun the Nationals and their home crowd in a miraculous 14-9 victory Tuesday night.
It was the Phillies’ highest-scoring ninth inning since September 27, 2015, when they also scored eight runs against these same Nationals. What made this rally particularly remarkable, however, was that every run resulted in two outs.
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After Marsh’s home run, Bryce Harper kept the rally going with a single, as the Phillies looked to take the lead. Then Derek Hill added a single, giving Bryson Stott a chance to reach for the first time since the top of the eighth when Philadelphia scored three.
Stott couldn’t have been more effective in the moment, swatting a ball down the left field line and leaning to his left in hopes that it would stay on the right side of the foul pole. That’s exactly what happened, and Stott’s three-run home run took the air out of the crowd as the Phillies led 11-8.
But the assault was not over. The Phillies couldn’t stop rallying, as Edmundo Sosa drove in two more runs to make it 13-8, and Turner was able to strike again where he hit Sosa on a single.
Chase Shugart and JT Realmuto of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrate after the final out against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park in Washington, DC on June 23, 2026. (Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
Eventually, Marsh struck out to end the inning, but the Nationals and their fans were completely dejected in the bottom of the ninth. Luis Garcia Jr. hit a solo home run to improve his own numbers, but the Nationals fell after a dramatic collapse they’ll want to forget very quickly.
The Nationals allowed 10 straight batters to reach base, eight of them via hits, including three extra-base hits and the two crucial home runs. JT Realmuto and Justin Crawford also drew walks during the rally.
Although it is still early in the season, this was a crucial game in terms of the NL East standings, as the Phillies now sit at 43-36, six games out of first place, held by the Atlanta Braves. However, the Nationals aren’t too far behind, just 2.5 games behind the Phillies at 41-39. The Miami Marlins hold the same record as Washington.
Brandon Marsh of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates with teammate Trea Turner after hitting a two-run home run against the Washington Nationals during the ninth inning at Nationals Park in Washington, DC on June 23, 2026. (Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
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Baseball is a dynamic game, but what the Phillies showcased in the nation’s capital was much more than that. They took the mantra “not until the last out” and ran with it for a wild eight-run finish that the team will be talking about for a while.
