That's a wrap to an historic season for the San Diego Padres.
The season in which they reach the championship series for the first time since 1998, ends Sunday night in disappointing fashion for the Padres.
San Diego dropped game 5 of this National League Championship Series at Citizens Bank Park 4-3 to put an end to their magical playoff run.
With this loss, the Padres lost consecutive playoff games in which they held a lead at some point in the game.
But then Bryce Harper happened.
One of the best hitters in all of baseball over the course of this era appeared and took away any chance the Padres had to extend this series.
Bottom of the 8th, Harper's homerun bomb, with a man on base, gave Philadelphia the 4-3 lead which eventually won the game and series.
Padres' Manny Machado said after the game that credit should go to Philadephia for delivering when it mattered the most throughout this series.
“They won, so they played the better baseball,” said Padres third baseman Manny Machado. “There’s nothing more to it. They got timely hits.”
First-year Padres manager Bob Melvin came into the defense of the questionable late bunt by Trent Grisham in the 9th inning as the they looked to tie the game.
“Yeah, grass is wet,” Melvin began. “Tough lefty on the mound (facing the left-handed Grisham). Puts us in a position to … I talked to him before it … first baseman’s back, drag it over there and we’ve got a chance, with a righty up behind him, to potentially knock in the go-ahead run, too. So, I think it’s a decent play for sure.”
However, Melvin says the team did its best and were in position to win the game and series against a talented Phillies team who caught fire at the right time.
“We were in a position to win that game, regardless. So, I think our guys contributed across the board. We just came up short.”
