Alek Thomas cemented his status in Arizona Diamondbacks postseason lore in Game 4 of the NLCS on Friday night.
The D-Backs trailed 5-3 and had one aboard as Thomas stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the 8th inning. The 23-year-old outfielder worked a full count on five pitches and then put a charge into Phillies reliever Craig Kimbrel’s sixth pitch.
Kimbrel’s 94 mph fastball soon found itself in the bottom of the D-Backs pool past the right field wall at Chase Field in Phoenix, Ariz., tying the game at five.
ALEK THOMAS INTO THE POOL TO TIE IT! pic.twitter.com/aecJYMF0Il
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) October 21, 2023
Thomas’ homer eventually led to the go-ahead RBI single from Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno later in the inning. Moreno drove in Ketel Marte to seal Arizona’s 6-5 comeback win.
Thomas became just the 9th player in MLB postseason history to record a game-tying, pinch-hit home run in the 8th inning or later. The second-year Diamondback is the youngest player on the list.
The win is the Diamondbacks’ second in a row at the hands of Kimbrel. Arizona also scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the 9th inning against the 35-year-old closer in their Game 3 victory. The NLCS is now tied 2-2.
