Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: Intentional balk backfires for Phillies in wild extra-innings loss to Marlins

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated 8/2/23

The Philadelphia Phillies snatched defeat from the jaws of victory several times Wednesday against the Miami Marlins in a wild one featuring an interesting decision from reliever Craig Kimbrel in extra innings.

With the Phillies up 7-5 in the 10th, Craig Kimbrel engaged in some gamesmanship, intentionally balking Jazz Chisholm from second to third base so that the Marlins star couldn't see the grip of his pitches.

Craig Kimbrel, Intentional Balk Mechanics. pic.twitter.com/n9SeKSVTAe
— Mr Matthew CFB (@MrMatthewCGI) August 3, 2023

The overthinking on the Phillies' part ultimately backfired. Chisholm scored on a groundout a batter later and after two subsequent base hits and a sacrifice fly, the Marlins had tied the game at seven, forcing an 11th inning of action.

If Kimbrel's decision to push the runner to third intentionally seems odd, it isn't, at least not for the Phillies closer. Kimbrel pulled off the same move while playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers in a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2021. It didn't work out this time, and the Phillies ultimately fell to Miami, 9-8.

#CubsWin again, beating the AAA @Pirates 4-1 and go for the sweep tomorrow.

Interesting, tonight saw Craig Kimbrel's first ever balk, which was really an INTENTIONAL balk. That goes down as 'IB' if you're scoring at home.@Cubs #GoCubsGo #FlyTheW pic.twitter.com/gjncmHeYW2
— Billy Krumb (@ClubhouseCancer) May 27, 2021

Before Kimbrel entered the game, Gregory Soto blew the save in the ninth. Entering the night's action, the Phillies had been a remarkable 46-1 when leading after eight innings this season. However, manager Rob Thomson decided to save Kimbrel in the ninth, another poor move that didn't work out in the team's favor.

The Phillies blew three separate leads in the ballgame, including a 5-0 advantage. The loss drops the Phillies to 58-50. They're nursing a half-game lead for one of the final three wild-card spots in the National League.

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