The surging Philadelphia Phillies tied a franchise record for consecutive road wins with a dramatic ninth-inning rally that resulted in a 4-3 victory over the Miami Marlins on Friday.
Philadelphia trailed 3-1 before scoring three times in the top of the ninth, with Cristian Pache putting the Phillies ahead with a two-run pinch-hit homer off A.J. Puk with two out.
Craig Kimbrel followed with a scoreless bottom of the ninth to seal Philadelphia's 13th straight win away from home, tying a club mark set from April 17-June 2, 1976.
The victory, the Phillies' fourth in a row overall, moved the defending National League champions within 1 1/2 games of the Marlins and Los Angeles Dodgers for the NL's top two wild card spots.
J.T. Realmuto started the comeback with a leadoff single off Puk in the ninth and later scored on Alec Bohm's one-out double. Two batters later, Pache sent Puk's pitch over the center-field wall with the Phillies down to their final out for a 4-3 lead.
The Phillies trailed 3-0 before Realmuto's solo homer in the sixth, the only run allowed in 6 2/3 innings by Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara.
Garrett Cooper went 2 for 4 with a solo home run for Miami.
Braves edge Rays in battle of MLB's best
Sean Murphy's two-run homer backed six-plus strong innings from Charlie Morton as the Atlanta Braves earned a 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in the opener of a three-game series between teams with the top two records in the major leagues.
Murphy's shot off Rays starter Tyler Glasnow in the fourth inning erased a 1-0 deficit, and Morton and three Atlanta relievers made the lead stand up as the Braves continued their month-long hot streak.
Atlanta is now 19-2 since last losing consecutive games from June 11-12 and owns MLB's best record at 59-28.
Morton, who pitched for the Rays from 2019-20, held his former team to one run on four hits while striking out six over 6 1/3 sharp innings to win his fourth straight start.
Glasnow exited with two out in the sixth inning due to cramping in his hands and legs, and was saddled with the loss despite allowing one earned run and two hits while fanning eight.
Wander Franco accounted for Tampa Bay's lone run with a solo homer in the first inning, while Yandy Diaz collected three of the Rays' six hits.
Ex-Yankee Taillon beats former team to spoil Rodon's season debut
Jameson Taillon overshadowed Carlos Rodon in the latter's delayed New York Yankees debut as the Chicago Cubs earned their first-ever victory in Yankee Stadium with a 3-0 win.
Taillon, who spent the previous two seasons with the Yankees before signing with the Cubs over the winter, held his former team to just one hit and two walks in a dominant eight-inning performance that helped end the Cubs' run of futility in the Bronx.
Including the 1932 and 1938 World Series, Chicago entered Friday's series opener 0-12 all-time at the current and former Yankee Stadium.
Rodon, who signed a six-year, $162 million contract with New York during the offseason, allowed two runs and four hits over 5 1/3 innings in his first start since September. The 2021 and 2022 All-Star missed this season's first three months due to a strained left forearm and then a back injury.
Cody Bellinger put the Cubs up 1-0 with a solo homer off Rodon in the third inning, and Nico Hoerner extended the lead with an RBI single in the fifth. Both finished with two hits in Chicago's third win in four games.