The Angels lost to the Phillies 5-3 late Friday night, and let me tell you, it was a special kind of gut-punch. This wasn’t just another loss; it pushed them into an MLB record-tying 11 blown ninth-inning leads this season. Think about that for a second. Eleven times they had the lead locked up in the final frame and still found a way to completely self-destruct.
How to Lose a Game You Had in the Bag
Heading into the ninth, the Angels were up 3-1. Luis Arraez grounded out to start the inning, and their win probability shot up to a ridiculous 96.5%. You’re practically shaking hands and heading for the showers at that point, right? But then Ben Joyce, on a 3-1 fastball, plunked Alec Bohm. Next, Justin Crawford walked, bringing Bryson Stott to the plate. Stott absolutely crushed a full-count fastball from Joyce deep to right. This ball, according to Statcast, would have been a go-ahead homer in 26 out of 30 MLB parks. It was gone. Everyone knew it.
Except Angels right fielder Wade Meckler had other plans. In an absolutely insane, highlight-reel play, Meckler robbed Stott of that homer, snagging it for the second out. Seriously, you have to see this catch. It was incredible! Even after all that madness, with potential tying runs on, the Angels still had a 92.8% chance of winning. You’d think that incredible play would be the turning point, a momentum shift, something to rally around, wouldn’t you?
The Grand Slam That Blew the Doors Off
Nope. This is where it gets truly wild. A wild pitch, then a walk to J.T. Realmuto, and suddenly the bases were loaded. Angels manager Kurt Suzuki tried to play matchups, bringing in lefty Sammy Peralta to face Brandon Marsh. Phillies skipper Don Mattingly wasn’t having it; he countered with right-handed utility man Edmundo Sosa as a pinch-hitter. And what did Sosa do? On a 1-1 count, he found a changeup at the bottom of the zone and absolutely hammered it 404 feet to center. Grand slam. Gone. Just like that.
That one swing flipped everything. Before Sosa stepped to the plate, the Angels still held an 85.6% chance of winning. By the time that ball landed, the Phillies’ chances had soared to 91.4%. Jonathan Bowlan came in and closed it out, securing the 5-3 win. This dude Sosa, remember him? He had a clutch double in another Phillies’ ninth-inning comeback against the Cardinals recently. Now he’s hitting grand slams in the same situation. That’s next-level clutchitude right there.
An Unwanted Record and Playoff Stakes
As for the Angels, this meltdown puts them in some truly garbage company. CBS Sports Research confirmed it: the 2026 Angels are now tied with the 2012 Brewers and 1978 Mets for the most losses after entering the ninth inning with a lead, 11 of them. That’s the most on record since 1900. And honestly, they’re already irrelevant in the standings, making this even more painful. It’s just a historic level of collapse, over and over.
Meanwhile, the Phillies (75-60) head into Saturday’s games sitting in the second wild card position in the National League. They’re just a game behind the Cubs for the top wild card spot and five games back in the NL East. Every single win matters for them right now, and Friday’s stunner of a comeback adds another huge layer of intensity to their season. You gotta wonder if this kind of win can fuel a serious run for them. What a game. What a disaster for the Angels.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
Leave a Reply