Segura atones for error with clutch hit in Phils' win

PHILADELPHIA -- Jean Segura has played 11 seasons successful the majors, made 2 All-Star teams and deed .300 3 times, but he's ne'er had an inning rather similar the 4th inning of Game 3 of the National League Championship Series connected Friday night.

Playing successful his archetypal postseason, the Philadelphia Phillies 2nd baseman dropped the relay propulsion from shortstop Bryson Stott, turning a imaginable inning-ending treble play into a game-tying tally for the San Diego Padres.

In the bottommost of the inning, however, helium redeemed himself with a clutch, two-out, two-strike, two-run azygous to springiness the Phillies a 3-1 pb successful a crippled they would clasp connected to triumph 4-2 to instrumentality a 2-1 bid lead.

"At the extremity of the day, we're going to marque a mistake," Segura said. "That's the play that I've astir apt made 3,000 times successful my life, but for immoderate crushed I missed it. As a player, you ne'er enactment your caput down. Just support it up, proceed to play the crippled due to the fact that you don't cognize however the game's going to end. Maybe that play tin impact you done the game."

Segura, who had made a bully diving halt successful the tract earlier successful the game, would adhd a 2nd fantastic diving play to rob the speedy Ha-Seong Kim of a deed with 2 outs and a runner connected basal to extremity the seventh. He pumped his limb done the aerial and kicked his limb successful a large amusement of emotion.

"I'm fired up," Segura said. "I don't cognize however to explicate that, but it's similar Goku, the small Goku, similar something, similar occurrence wrong my body. Like I conscionable privation to get it out, similar explosive. If you don't get affectional with 45,000 radical successful the stands oregon 46,000 radical successful the stands, you're playing the incorrect sport."

After Segura's error, the Phillies had a gathering astatine the mound with starter Ranger Suarez, who would extremity up getting the triumph with a coagulated 5 inning.

First baseman Rhys Hoskins wasn't amazed that Segura bounced backmost from the error.

"He's a 10- , 11-year nonrecreational and enjoying and soaking up each 2nd of this due to the fact that he's waited truthful agelong and competed for truthful long, moving his process disconnected for 15-16 consecutive offseasons astir likely, so, no, not amazed astatine all," Hoskins said. "Plus, however galore large hits person seen him get, right? He had the accidental to marque immoderate truly bully plays successful the tract arsenic well. The archetypal happening helium said erstwhile we went to the mound aft helium dropped the shot is, 'Ranger, springiness maine different one.' That's conscionable the benignant of assurance helium has successful himself."

The crippled did extremity with immoderate contention successful the apical of the ninth inning. After Juan Soto led the inning disconnected with a basal deed against Phillies person Seranthony Dominguez -- who was trying to implicit conscionable his 2nd two-inning retired of the play -- third-base umpire Todd Tichenor rung up Jurickson Profar connected a 3-2 checked swing.

Profar, who had already flipped his bat and started his trot to archetypal base, squatted down successful disbelief and starting walking toward Tichenor, knocking disconnected his helmet and past kicking it. Home-plate umpire Ted Barrett ejected Profar from the game.

"I thought I didn't spell and it should person been a walk," said Profar, claiming helium wasn't truly adjacent swinging, conscionable trying to get retired of the mode of a backdoor slider. "I didn't person a truly bully accidental to spot it, but I'm beauteous definite I didn't go. Maybe the bat was successful front, but I was conscionable getting retired of the way. I didn't go, I didn't swing."

He said helium wasn't disquieted astir a imaginable suspension.

"No chance, man. MLB doesn't suspend radical for that. We play a game, and we play with emotion. We don't play soft. We play to triumph and I play with emotion."

With the runners connected archetypal and 2nd and nobody, the Padres would person had momentum connected their broadside and unit connected Dominguez. Instead, the last 2 hitters, Trent Grisham and Austin Nola, went down connected a pop-up. Dominguez ended up throwing 34 pitches successful his 2 innings, his second-highest full of his season, and recorded the Phillies' archetypal two-inning prevention successful the postseason since Tug McGraw successful 1980.

He's present pitched 6.1 innings this postseason, allowing conscionable 2 hits with 13 strikeouts and nary walks.

For the pivotal Game 4 connected Saturday night, some managers crook to their No. 4 starters -- Mike Clevinger for the Padres and Bailey Falter for the Phillies, who drew the duty implicit Noah Syndergaard. Clevinger struggled successful his 1 postseason commencement against the Dodgers successful the part series, allowing six hits and 5 runs successful 2.2 innings. This aft a 6.52 ERA successful six starts successful September.

He's been battling a sore knee, but was capable to propulsion a 35-pitch bullpen connected Thursday, the archetypal clip successful a period he's been capable to bash that.

"We've had our ups and down," helium said aft Game 3. "It's been immoderate bully weeks, immoderate atrocious weeks, immoderate weeks the genu doesn't privation to bash it and lately it's conscionable benignant of been beauteous atrocious towards the end. And past yet this past week, it's been really, truly encouraging."

Still, the Padres didn't usage immoderate of their apical relievers successful Game 3 -- Nick Martinez, Luis Garcia, Robert Suarez and Josh Hader, truthful Melvin volition person a afloat pen disposable to him.

"I'm going until Bob comes and archer maine I can't spell anymore." Phillies manager Rob Thomson said he'll person to hold and spot if Dominguez is disposable for Game 4.

The hard-throwing right-hander is coming disconnected Tommy John and the Phillies person utilized him cautiously each season.

"We'll person to cheque successful connected Seranthony. That's the astir pitches he's thrown each year. We got to the constituent successful the crippled wherever we had the pb precocious and we had to spell for it."