Rockies 9, Phillies 7 (11): Johnston Doubles Home Automagic Run in South Philly Marathon

The lead

May 8, 2026 - Philadelphia - The Colorado Rockies built a six-run cushion, watched Citizens Bank Park roar back to life in the eighth, then walked into extra innings and still found one more answer. Troy Johnston doubled home automatic runner Willi Castro in the 11th, Jake McCarthy followed with an RBI single, and Colorado hung on for a 9-7 win over the Philadelphia Phillies, per the Associated Press recap on ESPN.

Rookie Justin Crawford tied the game in the eighth with his first major-league homer—a two-out, two-run blast that capped a five-run frame and turned a comfortable Rockies night into a bullpen nail-biter.

How the game turned

Hunter Goodman went 4-for-5 with a two-run homer during a five-hit fourth that chased Jesús Luzardo before he recorded an out in the inning. Kyle Karros added a two-run double, and Colorado suddenly led 6-0.

Chase Dollander carried a one-hitter into the sixth until Kyle Schwarber tattooed his 200th homer as a Phillie—No. 13 on the season—into the upper deck. J.T. Realmuto doubled home Brandon Marsh, Tyler Freeman answered for Colorado in the seventh, then Philadelphia loaded the emotional ledger in the eighth with Marsh, Bryson Stott, and Crawford doing damage against a tired pen.

Victor Vodnik (1-2) steadied the ship with a clean ninth and scoreless 10th before Juan Mejía closed the 11th by retiring Schwarber and Bryce Harper.

Pitching and matchup notes

Brad Keller (1-1) absorbed the 11th after Philadelphia intentionally chose leverage over length—a night when both staffs threw enough stressful pitches to matter Saturday.

Bats that changed the board

Kyle Schwarber finished 1-for-6 with a homer and four strikeouts, per ESPN—power and swing-and-miss in the same box score—while Bryce Harper kept pressure on with four times on base (two hits, two walks) before lining into a leverage spot late.

AthX Engine fantasy angle

Colorado landed 14 AthX Engine team FP despite the late turbulence—Hunter Goodman’s 8 hitting FP on May 8 shows how volume at the plate still moves the hitter ladder even when saves get messy. AthX Engine differs from dynamic pricing.

What comes next

Kyle Freeland and Aaron Nola were slated for Saturday—two veterans tasked with stabilizing a series that already burned bullpen bullets.

*Sources: MLB.com schedule, ESPN recap, Associated Press via ESPN, and AthX Engine scoring. Information only; not financial advice.*