Thursday, October 1, 2026
79 ° Clear
79 ° Clear
PHILADELPHIA – After a historic night at Citizens Bank Park on Saturday night where Bryce Harper hit for the cycle and Kyle Schwarber bashed three home runs, becoming just the second duo in MLB history to accomplish such feats in the same game, the Phillies look to carry that momentum into the series finale on national television on Sunday Night Baseball.
“I’d like it to carry over, but usually it doesn't necessarily go that way,” interim manager Don Mattingly said on if last night’s historic performance can carry over.
“It’s the same way on the other side when you lose one like that. You have to flush it, good or bad. It’s more going to be on tonight’s starters.”
The Phillies have one of their best going on the mound in Zack Wheeler. The “rigth-handed veteran is 6-1 with a 2.01 ERA this season and opposes lefty David Peterson who is 3-5 with a 5.91 ERA.
Wheeler makes his fourth-consecutive Father’s Day start on Father’s Day, with the streak starting in 2023. He becomes the first big league pitcher to start four consecutive games on Father’s day since Hall of Famer C.C. Sabathia did so from 2008-11 per the Phillies media notes.
Sticking with the holiday theme, Sunday night marks the 62nd anniversary of Jim Bunning’s perfect game on Father’s Day in 1964, which was against the New York Mets.
Harper’s aggressive base running has long been a topic of discussion during his career, especially since joining the Phillies.
He stretched a single into a double and of course zipped around the bases with a triple on his mind to complete the cycle in the fifth inning of Saturday’s win.
“You wanna see guys play with energy. You want to take chances. We want to take more chances,” Mattingly said
“That was a good chance there because it was in right-center, he had to backhand it, he’s not truly a right fielder so he’s a guy playing out there sparingly. You like to be aggressive and you like to be aggressive and smart with it, too.”
Harper shared his on his aggressiveness to go for the triple after the game.
The Phillies expect left-handed reliever Kyle Backhus to rejoin the team when they head to the nation’s capital for their upcoming road series against the Washington Nationals.
Mattingly could not confirm exactly what day the southpaw will be joining the roster.
Backhus, in his first season with the Phillies, pitched in 10 games posting a 4.66 ERA in 9 ⅔ innings before going down with left elbow inflammation in late April. The lefty could be a key reinforcement to the bullpen to neutralize left-handed hitters with Jose Alvarado’s struggles.
Reliever Brad Keller began his throwing program yesterday according to Mattingly and all “went well.”
The manager believes the righty is in a good spot and will continue to work his way back from right forearm tendonitis.
The Phillies are 16-5 (.762) at Citizens Bank Park against their NL East rivals since 2023, excluding the “home” game the Phillies had in London when the two teams played in 2024.
Philadelphia has not lost a series at home to the Mets since dropping a four-game set in August of 2022.
