NEW YORK (AP) — One pitch wiped out six months of success, the cruelty of 21st century baseball that rewards autumn ability over summer superiority. Carlos Estévez crouched on the mound, put his hands on his knees and turned his head to watch over his left shoulder as Francisco Lindor sent his 2-1 fastball soaring toward right-center field. When the ball landed in Philadelphia's bullpen for a sixth-inning grand slam that wiped out a 1-0 Phillies lead, the reliever dropped his hands and his head sank.
“I knew it right away,” Estévez said after Wednesday night's 4-1 loss to the New York Mets ended the NL Division Series in four games and sent the Phillies home for the winter. Sixteen years and counting without a World Series title. And in each of the last three seasons, Bryce Harper & Co.
keep getting knocked out further from the trophy. “Every loss is kind of the same, man," Harper said. “Any time you lose and don't finish the job of a World Series, it's the same — if it's the next round or the World Series round, it all feels pretty similar.
” Philadelphia reached Game 6 of the 2022 World Series before losing to Houston . It seemed to be on the verge of success with an offense anchored by Harper, Kyle Schwarber, J.T.
Realmuto and Nick Castellanos, and a rotation headed by Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler. Trea Turner was added for 2023, and the Phillies took a 3-2 lead over Arizona in last year’s NL Championship Series before dropping Games 6 and 7 at home . The.