Johan Rojas singled to center field with one out in the bottom of the 10th inning and the host Philadelphia Phillies clinched a playoff berth for the second consecutive season with a 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday.
Rojas had two hits and Brandon Marsh hit a solo home run for the Phillies (88-69).
“Once again, the word is incredible,” Rojas said on a postgame interview on NBC Sports Philadelphia. “What a moment. What a year. It was a great team effort.”
Phillies starter Aaron Nola pitched 6 2/3 innings and allowed four hits and one run with eight strikeouts and no walks.
Jeff Hoffman (5-2) earned the win.
Henry Davis hit a home run and single and Bryan Reynolds added a homer for the Pirates (74-83).
Pirates starter Mitch Keller gave up three hits and two runs with six strikeouts and two walks in six innings. David Bednar (3-3) took the loss.
Davis hit a solo home run in the eighth inning off Craig Kimbrel to tie the game, 2-2.
Jose Alvarado retired the side in order in the ninth.
The Pirates had runners on second and third with two outs in the 10th and Hoffman struck out Davis on a slider.
Liover Peguero singled to right with two outs in the third for the Pirates’ first hit. It ended an 0-for-14 slump.
The Phillies went hitless through the first five innings though Bryce Harper walked twice.
Davis lined a single to left to open the sixth and Peguero hit into a 5-4-3 double play. Nola then struck out Ji-hwan Bae for his 200th of the season for the fifth time in his career.
Keller threw one pitch to Marsh to open the sixth, but an apparent arm injury brought manager Derek Shelton and trainers to the mound.
Keller remained in the game and Marsh hit the next pitch over the fence in right-center for a 1-0 lead, snapping an 0-for-17 skid. Harper added a sacrifice fly to center for a 2-0 lead.
The Pirates closed within 2-1 in the seventh when Reynolds crushed his 24th homer of the season.
–Field Level Media
