Clubhouse quotes and insights to how Alek Thomas, Diamondbacks defeated Phillies in Game 4

The Arizona Diamondbacks stunningly defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 4, and have positioned themselves for a stunning National League Championship Series upset.

The Philadelphia Phillies are the more talented team with a significantly higher payroll and playoff pedigree. But two swings of the bat from two prominent rookies, a two-run home run from Alek Thomas and a game-winning single by Gabriel Moreno in the 8th inning to cap off a 6-5 victory, has tied the National League Championship Series at 2-2.

For two consecutive days, Diamondbacks players have cautioned not to count them out. Their backs, they’ve said, have been against the wall all season. This is familiar territory for them. They were underdogs against the Milwaukee Brewers in the wild card series and swept them. They were underdogs against the Los Angeles Dodgers and swept them. They were significant underdogs after trailing 2-0 to the Phillies in the NLCS.

Their Game 3 win, Zac Gallen said, proved to them that they could hang with the Phillies. Now, their Game 4 win made a stunning upset increasingly possible.

“I’m tired of the narrative that we’re lucky to be here,” Lovullo said. “I want everybody to know that we don’t feel like it, and hopefully they’re starting to change their mind as well.”

What makes the Diamondbacks so dangerous is that they’ve proven they can win in so many different ways. They can win with their frontline starters, Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly, who are now guaranteed to pitch in Games 5 and 6. They have an emerging rookie right-hander in Brandon Pfaadt. Their offense, headlined by Corbin Carroll and Ketel Marte, has Moreno, Thomas and other players capable of changing the game with one swing of the bat.

The strongest proof of that came with Thomas’ two-run, pinch-hit home run off future Hall of Fame closer Craig Kimbrel. But one rival executive, immediately upon completion of the game, made sure to note that the Diamondbacks have tied the series despite Carroll, Christian Walker and Tommy Pham hitting a combined 3-for-40.

“I can’t really describe how I feel because I haven’t had a chance to interpret what just happened,” Lovullo told reporters. “It happened so quickly, and it was just a group of players banding together and getting the job done.”