For the second straight season, the NL East championship flag will be in Philadelphia. It wasn’t easy, but the Phillies went back-and-forth with the Dodgers before getting a 6-5 win in 10 innings. There were times when it looked like the celebration would be pushed off for another day: Orion Kerkering gave up a game-tying home run just after the Phillies had taken a lead, Jhoan Duran blew a save opportunity, and David Robertson put two runners on via walks before getting the final out for his first save of the season. In the end though, it all came together.

Added to the list of concerns is the fact that Ranger Suarez didn’t have his best stuff when he took the mound, but he was able to battle through six innings, allowing three earned runs along the way. The Phillies trailed 3-1 at the end of Suarez’ six innings of work, but put up three runs in the top of the seventh an an RBI single by Bryson Stott and a two-run home run by Weston Wilson. Kerkering came on to pitch the bottom of the seventh and struck out pinch-hitter Michael Conforto on three pitches and put away Shohei Ohtani on a 97.5 mph four-seam fastball to catch Ohtani looking on a 3-2 pitch. Kerkering then hung an 0-1 four-seamer to Mookie Betts, who took it out to center field for his 19th home run of the season.

Bryce Harper was not going to go quietly and he took a fastball from Alex Vesia and launched his 27th home run of the season to put the Phillies back on top. Matt Strahm struck out two and got a fly ball to center to put the Dodgers down in the eighth and Tanner Scott put the Phillies down in the top of the ninth.

That was the point where Phillies fans across the country got ready for the champagne. Duran was coming on to put it all away, but after getting Max Muncy to strikeout for the third time in the game, Duran threw an 89 mph knuckle-curve to Andy Pages, who didn’t miss it and hit a 424-foot home run to again tie the game.

With Harrison Bader as the ghost runner on second, Kyle Schwarber lined out and Bryce Harper was intentionally walked to put runners on first and second. Bader and Harper pulled off a double steal and J.T. Realmuto then lifted a 3-2 pitch into right field deep enough to score Bader from third. Nick Castellanos then flied out to right to end the inning.

Schwarber hit his 53rd home run of the season with one out in the first inning for the Phillies first run.

Robertson worked out of a bases loaded one out jam in the 10th by getting Miguel Rojas on an infield popup and then getting a groundball to Harper from Muncy for the final out.