In baseball—as in all sports—many postseason series come down to which team is less injured.
That proposition is the reason that what happened to Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno Saturday evening was so frightening for Arizona fans.
With two outs in the top of the first inning and the Phillies already up 1–0 in Game 5 of the NLCS, Philadelphia attempted a double steal with runners on first and third. Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper broke for home and scored, bulldozing Moreno in the process.
As Moreno lay on the dirt in pain next to a clearly concerned Harper, Philadelphia second baseman Bryson Stott—the runner on first—made it all the way to third base.
Bryce Harper scores on a double steal. 2-0 Phillies
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) October 22, 2023
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TBS's announcers alluded to the fact that Moreno had been forced from Game 2 of Arizona's Wild Card Series against the Brewers when Milwaukee second baseman Brice Turang struck him with his backswing.
Moreno, 23, entered Saturday's game slashing .267/.353/.600 with three home runs and eight RBIs in his first postseason.