Diamondbacks' Lourdes Gurriel Jr. reflects on team's walk-off victory vs Phillies: "What a great ballgame we just played"
Arizona Diamondbacks left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. looked back on an amazing performance from his team as they beat the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 3 of their National League Championship Series on Thursday. The Diamondbacks recorded the third postseason walk-off win in their history as they beat the Phillies 2-1 to make the NLCS more interesting. Gurriel Jr. hit a single in the seventh innings to tie the score for his team and reflected back on his performance after the game.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was signed as an international free agent by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2016 and went on to make his MLB debut for them in 2018. He played five seasons in Toronto, breaking out in 2021 and then being traded to the Diamondbacks ahead of the 2023 season. Since making the move to Arizona, he has been a valuable member of their lineup.
Gurriel Jr. showed his value once again as he hit a game-tying RBI double off Phillies pitcher Orlon Kerkering in the seventh innings of the game on Thursday. The Phillies had taken a one-run lead in the top of the seventh thanks to a wild pitch, but it didn't last long as the Arizona left fielder tied it game later in the innings. Ketel Marte went on to hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth to win them the game.
Speaking to a reporter after the game, Gurriel Jr. gave his take on their amazing victory:
"It's so emotional right now. That moment, my goodness... what a great ballgame we just played."
Brandon Pfaadt puts in historic performance as Lourdes Gurriel Jr. leads Diamondbacks comeback
While Lourdes Gurriel Jr. put the Arizona Diamondbacks on the scoreboard to lead their comeback against the Philadelphia Phillies, rookie starting pitcher Brandon Pfaadt put in a historic performance as well. Pfaadt ended the night with 5.2 innings pitched, nine strikeouts and no runs allowed. He became the first pitcher in MLB postseason history to record back-to-back starts allowing 0 runs and 0 walks. At the same time, he also became the youngest player in Diamondbacks history to record nine-plus strikeouts in a playoff start.
The Diamondbacks' comeback on Thursday has made the NLCS a much more exciting affair and there's plenty of baseball to look forward to in the coming days.