If the Phillies manage to hold on to this half game lead in the wild card race until the season runs out (pleasepleaseplease), the third inning of yesterday’s 10-7 win over the Florida Marlins will encompass the long strange trip this has been.

The Phils were down 4-0 in the third inning – not good in a to-the-wire pennant race where there is no room for error. But they didn’t roll over and die. They came back with a seven run charge that included three home runs. The third of those homers came from Chris Coste, who kept fouling off pitches until Marlins pitcher Scott Olsen hung one that Coste smacked out of the yard to tack on the final three runs of the inning. The only way Olsen could get out of the inning was through ejection after hitting Abraham Nunez.

The only aberration in this inning-as-season was that Pat Burrell actually contributed to that inning with a single.

It was a fun game to watch. It was tense to watch because this is down to the wire. Tonight, the Phils will play the Houston Astros at Citizens Bank Park for the last regular season home game of the year. Hopefully, this won’t be the last time we’ll see baseball in South Philly this year.

Image via Stock.xchng.