Harper and Sanchez: Partners in eliteness – Phillies 9, Athletics 1

May 5, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (3) looks on during the ninth inning against the Athletics at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images After two innings in Tuesday’s series opener against the Oakland Athletics, it looked like it might be another frustrating night for the Phillies’ offense. One night after squeaking out a 1-0 win over the Marlins, the Phillies seemed determined to leave as many runners on base as possible.

They loaded the bases against A’s starter Luis Severino in the first inning but couldn’t get any runs home. In the second, the first two batters reached base, but once again, Severino escaped unscathed. In the bottom of the third, Bryce Harper realized that the best way to avoid being stranded on base was to drive himself home.

For the second straight night, a Harper solo shot got the Phils out to a 1-0 lead. Harper's heatin' up 👀 pic. twitter.

com/aaqZ0vGOB3 — Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 5, 2026 After they stranded another three runners over the next two innings, it looked like they might have to win a second straight 1-0 game. However, the way that Cristopher Sanchez was pitching, he seemed capable of pulling that off. After retiring the first eight batters he faced, Sanchez allowed a couple of baserunners but worked around them.