PHILADELPHIA — Phillies left-handed reliever Tanner Banks came into Sunday’s eventual 3-2 Phillies win in an impossible spot.
With the bases loaded, nobody out and the go-ahead run at the plate in the top of the eighth inning, Banks jogged to the mound to face the top of the Nationals order.
The matchup favored Banks. The first two batters, James Wood and CJ Abrams, were lefties that Nationals interim manager Miguel Cairo was not going to pinch hit for.
Banks started off the first hitter Wood with two pitches on the outside corner for balls. The impatient crowd at Citizens Bank Park booed, as José Alvarado walked two to put Banks in this predicament.