Friday’s NLCS Game 3 will pit an unstoppable force against an immovable object.
The unstoppable force is a Citizens Bank Park crowd that made the defending World Series champions look completely out of their element in the NLDS, powering the Phillies to two home wins by a combined 13 runs and eliminating the NL East champion Atlanta Braves.
The immovable object is Joe Musgrove, who’s pitched in a tiebreaking Game 3 this postseason already. That was the winner-take-all Wild Card Series decider against the Mets in New York, where Musgrove dazzled, allowing one hit in seven scoreless innings to push the Padres into the NLDS — fueled by perhaps an act of gamesmanship by Mets manager Buck Showalter.