With hazy Bay Area fog rolling in around McCovey Cove and the lights of Oracle Park, the Phillies were closing in on tying the series against this red-hot San Francisco team. With one out and runners on the corners, Jordan Romano went back to work against the Giants’ catcher, Patrick Bailey. After a handful of rough outings to start the season where Romano was relieved of his duties as the team’s closer, he had a successful month of June on the mound, so much so that manager, Rob Thompson, decided to put Romano back in as “their guy” to close out the game. However, last night, the thirty-two-year-old right-hander blew a two-run lead in the most dramatic fashion a hitter possibly could, watching the Phillies’ chances at pulling out a series win vanish within seconds.

The twenty-six-year-old has been one of the most promising home-grown plate protectors since Buster Posey, and with a slower start to this season as compared to his previous two with the big league club, the San Fran fan favorite’s late-inning heroics last night were much needed, both for the player and for the momentum of the team as the Giants head into the All-Star break looking for an offensive boost. With just one pitch from Romano, who couldn’t have served a better meatball if he tried, the switch-hitting catcher was able to square up a 93-mph fastball right down the heart of the plate. The ball traveled 414 feet to the brick wall that faces right center, with Romano watching as the pitch sailed out to one of the furthest parts of the park. Phillies’ centerfielder Brandon Marsh tried to play it off the wall as best as he could, but with a fierce doink off the bricks, the ball then flew over his head into left center. He finally managed to track the ball down and launched it to the cutoff man, Edmundo Sosa, but it was too late. By the time the ball reached the infield again, Bailey, who is not known for his wheels, had already crossed the plate, scoring all three runners, and giving the Giants the win, 4-3.

Bailey’s sprint from home to home in 16.59 seconds, with an average sprint speed of 27.4 feet per second, on the unforgettable play, sent the sellout crowd into a state of pandemonium before sending them all home happy. This was the first walk-off inside-the-park home run since Tyler Naquin hit one for Cleveland on August 19th, 2016, and the first in a long time for San Francisco, the last one happening when Angel Pagan did so on May 25, 2013. Bailey also became only the third catcher to accomplish the feat, joining the Washington Senators’ Bennie Tate, who called game on August 11th, 1926, and the Cubs’ Pat Moran, who did it on August 4th, 1907. Bailey’s shot, which left his bat with an exit velocity of 103.4 mph, would have been considered a home run at every other Major League ballpark, but Oracle Park’s quirks forced Bailey to turn on the jets rather than take a leisurely trot. As soon as the ball left the bat, there was no doubt it was heading into “Triples Alley,” as they call it, and Bailey, who hit into a double play and struck out in two of his previous at-bats on the night, watched the ball sail over Marsh, and then decided to put his name in a little bit of baseball history in the process. Bailey’s heroics certainly felt more unbelievable, especially since the 26-year-old backstop entered Tuesday batting only .188 with a .531 OPS, the third-lowest mark among Major League hitters who have taken at least 200 plate appearances in 2025. The inside-the-parker was only his second home run of the year and his first since May 21.

PATRICK BAILEY

WALK-OFF INSIDE-THE-PARK HOME RUN@SFGIANTS WIN! pic.twitter.com/xwswjv2fLP

— MLB (@MLB) July 9, 2025

So what does last night’s historic moment mean for the Phillies?

Well, for starters, it means that this final series against another formidable NL West contender, the San Diego Padres, is a crucial one. The Phillies are now tied for first place in the division with the Mets, and while the rest of the teams that make up the league haven’t posed that much of a threat this season, this seesaw between these two mid-Atlantic rivals has led to just as exciting of a division race as that of the Padres and Giants’ division, where they sit in second and third, just four and five games behind the first place Dodgers. The Phillies and Mets are currently tied at 53-39, having both gone 5-5 in their last ten games. The Phillies, out of these two powerhouses, do happen to have the better run differential, currently sitting at +52, while the Mets trail closely behind at +45. With the Phils on a two-game losing streak and the Mets having won last night, it will genuinely be down to the wire to see how the two teams will finish out the first half.

Another takeaway from last night’s loss is that, while Romano has proven to be a clutch late-inning reliever, he can no longer be considered a sustainable closer for this team if they are going to be as serious as they say they are about making it to the World Series this year. As the July 31st trade deadline looms, the need for a legitimate closer becomes more evident with every game. With some viable options on the market, the Phillies could finally lock down someone with the capability to button it up in a save situation. Once a legitimate closer is found, Romano can then move to high-leverage situations in late innings, which also could solve the recent meltdown of Orion Kerkering as well, giving him a chance to be used earlier in games as well.

But who could they possibly go for?

I am so glad you asked! While there are some clear buyers and some clear sellers as this deadline approaches, you never know the teams or the deals that will be made. Let’s take a look at some of the fits from definitive selling teams:

1. Félix Bautista, Baltimore Orioles

It’s no secret that Dave Dombrowski loves working to get a good deal done with the AL Baltimore team, and for years, many fans have hoped that DD could get a deal done in which “The Mountain” could find a home just a little north of Camden Yards up I-95. This season has been his first since recovering from Tommy John surgery, and it has been quietly an impressive one for the 6’8 reliever. He’s throwing with a 2.56 ERA right now, with 45 strikeouts in 31.2 innings. Bautista is flashing the same level of dominance that once made him one of the game’s most feared closers before his elbow issues and injury. The one hiccup, however, is the walk rate, which has crept up to 14.8 percent. That’s higher than you’d like, but considering he missed all of 2024, it’s fair to think he’s still shaking off some rust, and with Jose Alvarado ineligible to play in the postseason, someone with Bautista’s execution will be vital for this team, whose Achilles’ heel the past few seasons in October has been their closing pitching. With a contract that has team control until 2027, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the likes of a hefty pitching prospect, like Mick Abel, be sent down to Baltimore in addition to some lower value prospects as well, which the Orioles organization has been known to develop exceptionally well.

2. Emmanuel Clase, Cleveland Guardians

Okay, so after losing ten of their last twelve games, and currently sitting more than fifteen games behind the Detroit Tigers for the AL Central, “The Land’s” chances of playing October baseball are growing slimmer. Clase is easily one of the top five best closers in baseball, but had a really rough start to begin the season, in which he finished the month of April with twice as many earned runs as he allowed in all of last year. He hasn’t been as dominant as he once was, but he’s still pumping out pure gas on the mound (with a cutter that still can hit 99 mph). If the Phillies are willing to part with some big-name prospects (most likely position prospects), then there could potentially be momentum here. The Phillies, if they could land Clase, would receive the immediate help they so desperately need. At the same time, the Guardians, in return, can acquire near-MLB caliber talent who will align the younger Cleveland team with their future competitive window, all while maximizing the value of the player they could potentially be parting with. Clase is signed through 2026 with $10-million club options in 2027 and 2028, and as mentioned, he’s been a staple in Cleveland, proving just how valuable a reliable closer can be, but a low-spending team like the Guardians might have to cash in while they’re having a sub-.500 season.

3. Jhoan Duran, Minnesota Twins

The Twins have had an absolute flame thrower at the back of their bullpen in Jhoan Duran. Probably the least likely of these “big three,” solely because the Twins have been playing significantly well, so if they stay in contention, they probably wouldn’t be wise to part with such a central part of their bullpen. Showcasing three unhittable pitches, pairing a triple-digit fastball with two swing-and-miss breaking balls, Duran has been elite enough to make even some of the strongest offensive players in the game look silly. In the four seasons he’s been in the bigs, he’s posted a 2.40 ERA and has gone over seventy innings without allowing a home run. While definitely one of the best relievers in the game, he still comes with a relatively cheap price tag as well, and will be under team control until 2027, so he will probably warrant a similar trade package that highlights Mick Abel or some of the other top-30 prospects within the Phillies’ system, who could continue to develop with the strong farm system the Twins organization has begun to shape in recent years.

4. David Bednar, Pittsburgh Pirates

While he’s not as much of a needle mover as the other three, Bednar has been a consistent bright light in the bullpen for an otherwise dark Pirates team. He has one year of arbitration eligibility remaining, meaning that if the Phillies want to lock him down for a long time, they could. It’s been a while since the Phils have had a long-term closer, and it is a difference maker. When you know who is handling the ball in the last, sometimes most crucial as we saw in the loss against the Giants, inning of the ballgame, and knowing there is a consistent workhorse who will be ready to give you an inning, maybe two, of solid work, it would be a no-brainer to pick him up if a deal can’t be made for a more expensive closer.

Otto Kemp could free up the Phillies to focus on the bullpen at the trade deadline. 👀 pic.twitter.com/VzFfcBswnv

— ThePhilliesShow (@ThePhilliesShow) June 29, 2025

It’ll be intriguing to see what the Phillies’ next move will be after the second coming of a Romano implosion. With Dombrowski on record saying that the back end of the bullpen being the area that needs the most work, it’s a comfort to know that the team at least can recognize where its shortcomings are, and look to improve upon them within the next month or so before they lock into the remainder of the season. One thing is for sure: last night’s game against the Giants will be one to haunt Phillies fans’ nightmares for time to come, despite being a part of baseball history.