Bryson Stott has now had 27 birthday parties. It's safe to assume there have been none bigger or better than Sunday.
Stott had a clutch two-run triple in the bottom of the eighth to put the Phillies ahead for the first time. They would give up that lead but eventually win the game 7-6 on a walk-off single by Nick Castellanos in the bottom of the ninth that evened the NLDS at one game apiece.
Bryson Stott (and to a certain extent Brandon Marsh) recap an electric @Phillies victory in Game 2 😂 #NLDS pic.twitter.com/Ft5vg8HK4f
But the Phillies never get to the Castellanos magic moment without the clutch hit by Stott off of Mets closer Edwin Diaz.
Down a run in the eighth, Byrce Harper walked with one out and Castellanos singled him to third. Up stepped Stott, who had a mixed bag of at bats prior.
He sandwiched a single in between two strikeouts against the Mets hard-throwing starter Luis Severino. But as hard as Severino throws, Diaz is even harder.
Stott stepped in and Diaz threw him a pair of 99 MPH fastballs. The first was a strike at the top of the zone. The second a ball way outside.
From there, Diaz abandoned the heater for his slider. Everything was up. Two were away. One just caught the corner.
So, the count shifted to 3-2 and Stott started thinking what he might see.
"He's one of the best closers in the game for a reason and his stuff is electric," Stott said. "His fastball was running more than it has in the past and I was trying to beat one of those heaters to the outside part of the plate. He threw a slider that I could finally hit and I was able to pull it down the line."
Bryson Stott has a knack for creating the loudest, most insane moments at Citizens Bank Park. 🔊
pic.twitter.com/zyNxveaupn https://t.co/CCmgH8vXht
The pitch was also up and caught too much of the plate and didn't miss. But Stott insisted he wasn't looking for it, but rather reacted to it.
"He's throwing 100 and you've got to be ready for 100," Stott said. "When I've faced him in the past with two strikes he's thrown me heaters. ... If you're on time for the heater, you can adjust on the slider. He needs to leave it up, obviously. When he throws it down, it looks like a fastball for a long time.
"That one stayed up, so..."
So, he had an epic moment in a game that was chockfull of them.
"His at bats were good today," Thomson said. "He actually swung at a first pitch fastball which I'd like to see every once in a while. He worked counts and didn't chase hardly at all. He comes through with a great at bat on the triple down the line, I was really happy with him."
Almost forgotten in all the twists and turns of this three hour-and-13-minute drama, was a play Stott made in the second inning to rob J.D. Martinez of an RBI single.
After Jose Iglesias legged out an infield single and advanced to second base on an errant throw by Edmundo Sosa, Martinez hit a humpback liner up the middle. Stott ranged to his right and leaped as high as he could to make the catch.
Happy BIRTHDAY, Bryson Stott!🎉🎉🎉 pic.twitter.com/VdoGvvzJNL
Had he not made that play, Iglesias would have scored easily, and the Mets would have had another run, which could have changed the whole complexion of the game.
"You always want to get hits, but on defense you can control it," Stott said. "You're controlling everything that goes on when the ball's hit to you. Outside of a bad hop, it's on you. Just focusing and trying to make plays for our pitchers, who are giving us a big chance to win and keeping us in games is fun."
So are big birthday parties. And it's sure to be one Stott will never forget.
