PHOENIX — More than 15 minutes into the game, Ketle Marte stood at his locker in the clubhouse. He drank water and tried to catch his breath after starring in another magical moment for the Diamondbacks in the postseason.
“After my hit, I ran really hard,” the Dominican said, shaking his head.
Marte capped off a three-hit afternoon with a single in the ninth inning, and Arizona beat the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 on Thursday, which narrowed its lead in the National League ALCS.
Brandon Pvadt pitched two-thirds of scoreless innings for the Diamondbacks, who now trail 2-1.
On the verge of losing 3-0 in the series with four wins in a maximum of seven games, Arizona tied the score with an RBI double by Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in the seventh inning.
Cuban opened the ninth inning with a walk off Craig Kimbrel. He then stole second base and advanced to third on Bavin Smith’s single.
Gurriel was retired at the plate by a pitch from shortstop Trea Turner, after a hit by Puerto Rican Emmanuel Rivera, at a time when the Phillies were leading.
Dominican Geraldo Perdomo was walked after falling to 1-2 in the count, and his countryman Marte, one of the few Diamondbacks players who looked comfortable in the batter’s box during this series, hit a line drive that landed in front of Quisquea outfielder Johan Rojas.
The hit sparked a celebration from the Diamondbacks.
Marty denied that he was nervous during his shift.
“I’m not a guy who feels pressure,” he said. “I know what kind of hitter I am.”
This was the third time in history that the Diamondbacks left their opponents on the field in the postseason. They’ve accomplished it before with shutouts by Tony Womack in the 2001 Division Series and by Luis Gonzalez in the World Series that same year.
Marte has a hitting streak of 12 consecutive postseason appearances.
The Phillies, the defending National League champions, opened the postseason with a 7-1 record and beat the Diamondbacks by a combined 15-3 innings over the two games at Citizens Bank Park, hitting six home runs.
Bryce Harper gave the Phillies the lead in the seventh inning when he scored on a home run by Ryan Thompson.
After pitching 4 1/3 innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the deciding game of the Division Series, Pvadt struck out nine and allowed a pair of hits to the Phillies, with a fastball of about 95 mph and an unhittable sweeper for Philadelphia.
“It was fun. A lot of things worked out for me,” Pvadt said. “I was able to focus on some things, throw pitches the way I wanted to and hit some big hits.”
The fourth match is scheduled to take place on Friday at 5:07 pm (0007 GMT).
As for Velez, Dominican Rojas is 3-0.
For the Diamondbacks, Dominican Marte is 3-for-5 with an RBI, and Perdomo is 0-for-3. Venezuelan Gabriel Moreno is 4-1. Cuban Gurriel Jr. went 3-2 with an RBI. Puerto Rico Rivera 4-0.