The Mets snagged a 5-1 victory over the Phillies in Game 1 of the National League Division Series, but it wasn’t until the eighth inning that they really got going. Zack Wheeler was on fire, pitching seven innings without letting a run score and allowing just one hit. On the other side, despite Kyle Schwarber’s early home run, the Phillies couldn’t capitalize further against Kodai Senga, who was making his second start this season.
Both teams blamed the tricky shadows at Citizens Bank Park for their struggles at bat. The game started at 4 p.m., and Phillies manager Rob Thomson mentioned how the late afternoon sun made things tough for hitters. He opted for a “defense first” strategy with Johan Rojas in center field and Brandon Marsh in left to tackle these visual challenges.
Afterward, Trea Turner and Nick Castellanos talked about how hard it was to see during those early innings. Castellanos said he could barely see the ball from innings one through seven: “What did we have? Three hits in the first seven innings?” Once the sun dipped behind the stadium, both teams seemed to find their rhythm.
Game Conditions and Player Reactions:
Turner also struck out twice and agreed that batting improved once sunlight faded away. Mets players had similar issues; even Wheeler didn’t need much help on such a day. Brandon Nimmo struggled with sunglasses or no sunglasses during his two-RBI performance: “You literally are just swinging at a black ball.”
Mark Vientos tied up things for New York in that pivotal eighth inning when visibility remained poor due to shadows: “It was very tough,” he admitted.
Fans might think these conditions add an unpredictable twist to games like this one.
Looking ahead to Game 2, Luis Severino will pitch for New York while Cristopher Sánchez takes charge for Philadelphia—at exactly same time as before! This means another potential battle with those pesky shadows until dusk arrives again… Will they play tricks on hitters once more?
Sánchez has been stronger playing home games this season; thus Thomson decided Aaron Nola should wait till Game 3 back at Citi Field instead of facing off now against Mets’ lineup known better handling lefties than right-handed pitchers! Could Philly’s mix between light & dark give him an edge—or perhaps lead us into another exciting finish?
What do you think about all these shadowy shenanigans affecting baseball?
