Angels Rally to Beat Phillies 10–8 on Drury’s Homer in 9th as Harper’s Hits 300th Homer

Brandon Drury (23) and Shohei Ohtani (17) of the Los Angeles Angels react after scoring during the eighth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on August 30, 2023. Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images

PHILADELPHIA—Bryce Harper put the Philadelphia Phillies ahead in the eighth inning with his 300th home run, but Brandon Drury capped a three-run ninth with a tiebreaking, two-run homer that lifted the Los Angeles Angels to a 10–8 victory on Wednesday, August 30, that prevented a three-game sweep.

In a game with four lead changes, Los Angeles led 7–6 before Harper’s two-run homer in the eighth off Matt Moore (4–1). Harper and Moore were 1–2 among Baseball America’s top prospects in 2012.

“I really wanted to do it at home in front of this fanbase and this great city,” Harper said. “Hopefully, there’ll be 300 more.”

Harper’s homer, his 15th this season and 10th in August, came in the 30-year-old’s 1,481st game. He homered in three straight games for the second time this month and has 10 homers in August. Moore was the 224th pitcher he went deep against.

Bryce Harper (3) of the Philadelphia Phillies reacts after hitting a two run home run during the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on August 30, 2023. Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images

“He certainly has a flair for the dramatic,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said.

Pinch-hitter Mike Moustakas struck out leading off the ninth but reached on a wild pitch by Craig Kimbrel (7–5). Nolan Schanuel’s single put runners at the corners, giving him a team-record 10-game hitting streak at the start of his big league career. Luis Rengifo hit a sacrifice fly to tie the score.

After Shohei Ohtani struck out, Drury lofted a fastball on the outside corner to the opposite field and over the wall in right for his 19th homer.

“It was crazy,” Drury said. “It felt like every time we scored they came back and scored, too. But we kept fighting until the end and were able to pull out a win.”

Kimbrel blew a save for the third time in 24 chances. All three have come after the All-Star break.

“We thought with Kimbrel going out there it was pretty much over, but he just didn’t have it today,” Thomson said.

Carlos Estévez struck out two in a perfect ninth for his 29th save in 31 chances.

Ohtani was 1 for 4 with an RBI and was 5 for 13 with three RBIs in the series. Hunter Renfroe had three hits and four RBIs for the Angels (64–70).

Philadelphia (74–59), which leads the NL wild card race, trailed 5–3 before Trea Turner’s three-run homer in the sixth against Reynaldo López. Renfroe put the Angels ahead 7–6 with a two-run single in the eighth off Seranthony Dominguez.

Big Month

Harper’s homer was the Phillies’ 59th in August, tied for the third most by any team in a single month in major league history and the most by an NL team in August.

Trainer’s Room

Angels: OF Micky Moniak (back soreness) didn’t play after leaving Tuesday’s game in the seventh inning following a leaping grab against the center-field wall. Moniak said the soreness was minor but he wouldn’t have been in the lineup Wednesday against a left-handed starter anyway.

Phillies: Thomson said OF Cristian Pache and LHP Ranger Suárez were scheduled to rejoin the team for their upcoming six-game trip. Pache (elbow/knee), on the IL since July 17, was scheduled to play in another rehab game Wednesday with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Suárez (hamstring) is expected to start Sunday in Milwaukee in his first outing since Aug. 15.

Up Next

Angels LHP Patrick Sandoval (7–10, 3.95 ERA) faces A’s LHP J.P. Sears (2–11, 4.80 ERA) on Friday in the opener of a series at Oakland.

Phillies RHP Zack Wheeler (10–6, 3.59 ERA) starts Friday at Milwaukee, which goes with RHP Freddy Peralta (11–8, 3.95 ERA).