Citizens Bank Park felt like an impossible place for road teams to win. The crowd is always rowdy, and the Phillies' offense usually gave them reasons to cheer early.
Two second-inning home runs and a stellar outing from Merrill Kelly will do a lot to make the once impregnable fortress in Philadelphia open up. The Diamondbacks saw Tommy Pham and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. launch a pair of second-inning home runs to help Arizona jump out to an early lead, and it never looked back.
Over the night, Arizona continued to pile on and Kelly and the bullpen limited Philadelphia to just one run as the Diamondbacks won 5-1 to even the series at three games each and force a winner-take-all Game 7.
MORE: Watch Phillies vs. Diamondbacks live with Sling TV
The two homers from Pham and Gurriel were part of a three-run second inning, but the Phillies managed to get the crowd back into the contest in the bottom half of the frame, with Brandon Marsh driving in a run to make it 3-1.
But the rest of the game was all Arizona. Ketel Marte continued his red-hot postseason with an RBI triple in the fifth and an RBI single in the seventh, tying the MLB record for the longest playoff hitting streak at 15 consecutive games with at least one hit in the process.
The much feared Phillies lineup was largely held in check by Kelly, who allowed only the one run over five innings. He struck out eight batters and gave up just three hits and three walks. The rest of Arizona's bullpen was dominant, with Ryan Thompson, Andrew Saalfrank, Kevin Ginkel and Paul Sewald combining to allow just three hits with two strikeouts over the remaining four innings.
The teams will meet again in Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday for Game 7 of the ALCS. Brandon Pfaadt, who was outstanding against Philadelphia in Game 3 with 5.2 scoreless innings, will start opposite Ranger Suarez, who matched him with 5.1 scoreless innings in that contest.
The Sporting News tracked live scoring updates and highlights from Game 6 of the 2023 NLCS between the Phillies and Diamondbacks. Follow along below as the Phillies attempt to advance to the World Series.
Phillies vs. Diamondbacks score
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Final | |
| Diamondbacks | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Phillies | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Phillies vs. Diamondbacks live updates, highlights from NLCS Game 6
(All times Eastern)
8:10 p.m. End of game: Marsh is called out on strikes, and this game will be headed to a Game 7.
8:08 p.m.: Sewald blows through Castellanos on three pitches. Two outs.
8:07 p.m.: Realmuto goes down on two pitches, flying out to let for the first out.
8:06 p.m.: The Diamondbacks will hand the ball to their closer, Paul Sewald, to shut the door on Game 6.
8:03 p.m. End top ninth: Moreno flies out to center to end the inning.
8:03 p.m.: Huge strikeout for Alvarado as he gets Marte swinging for the second out of the inning.
8:02 p.m.: Carroll bunts to try and reach base, but is just barely thrown out. Perdomo moves up to third.
8:01 p.m.: Perdomo starts the top of the ninth with a bunt base hit, and he moves up to second when Alvarado fires the throw past first.
7:58 p.m.: Gregory Soto comes in to replace Kimbrel on the mound to start the ninth.
7:56 p.m. End of eighth: Philadelphia is down to its final three outs as Stott flies out to right.
7:56 p.m.: The Phillies get a two-out baserunner as Bohm reaches first after a grounder gets just past the diving glove of Marte at second.
7:55 p.m.: Harper gives a low slider from Ginkel a ride, but it's caught by Thomas in center for the second out.
7:52 p.m.: Thomas makes a nice running catch to grab a broken bat flare from Turner in shallow center.
7:51 p.m.: The Diamondbacks are heading to their ace bullpen arms, turning to Kevin Ginkel for the eighth inning.
7:48 p.m. End top eighth: Longoria comes up empty on a curveball, and Kimbrel keeps the score at 5-1. Turner, Harper and Bohm will try to spark the Phillies.
7:47 p.m.: Kimbrel tries a pair of unsuccessful pickoff attempts on Thomas, and the Diamondbacks center fielder takes advantage of the new rule, getting a good jump and swiping second.
7:45 p.m.: Thomas walks, his third time reaching base on Monday.
7:43 p.m.: Gurriel is caught looking at strike three for the second out of the frame.
7:41 p.m.: Craig Kimbrel comes in to replace Kerkering on the mound. Diving catch by Rojas robs Pham of a base hit.
7:37 p.m.: The call on the field is quickly confirmed. Schwarber is out and the seventh is over.
7:36 p.m. End of seventh: Moreno with the defensive play of the game. He jumped on a wild pitch and threw a strike to second to nab Schwarber trying to advance to second. The Phillies are challenging the call, but it sure looks like he's out at second.
7:34 p.m.: Saalfrank gets Schwarber to ground into a force out. Perdomo tried to argue Marsh slid into him to interfere with the play, but it's just a force out.
7:30 p.m.: Rojas flies out to shallow center, and with Schwarber due up, the Diamondbacks are going to head to the bullpen. Andrew Saalfrank will be the new pitcher for Arizona.
7:28 p.m.: Solid defensive play in center by Thomas to catch up to a line drive by Marsh in the right-center gap and hold the Phillies left fielder to a single.
7:23 p.m. End top seventh: Walker hits a liner to right, but Castellanos makes the running grab for the third out. Diamondbacks will head to the bottom of the seventh leading leading by four.
7:22 p.m.: The aggressive Diamondbacks are showing up on the basepaths again, with Marte stealing second on the first pitch to Walker.
7:21 p.m.: Moreno flies out to right, and Walker will come up to bat with Marte on first and two away.
7:20 p.m. Diamondbacks scoring play: Marte just keeps producing for Arizona. He hits a grounder up the middle for a base hit. Perdomo races around from second to score, and Arizona extends its lead. Diamondbacks 5, Phillies 1
7:19 p.m.: Carroll comes up empty at a down-and-in sweeper, but Perdomo steals second on the play. Marte will bat with one out and a runner on second.
7:16 p.m.: Perdomo leads off the seventh by looping a leadoff single into shallow left.
7:14 p.m.: Orion Kerkering comes in to replace Lorenzen, who delivered 1.2 stellar innings of relief to keep the Diamondbacks from tacking on another in the fifth.
7:13 p.m. End of sixth: Castellanos flies out to left. Thompson pitches around the one-out single to get the Diamondbacks three innings away from Game 7.
7:11 p.m.: Stott lines a base hit into left-center with two strikes, but on the next pitch, Realmuto flies out to right. That brings Castellanos up to the plate with a runner on first and two away.
7:10 p.m.: Thompson's first batter, Bohm, hits a soft comebacker to him and he flips it on to first for the out.
7:08 p.m.: Kelly was clearly unhappy with his conversation with manager Torey Lovullo in the dugout, and now we know why. He's been pulled, with Ryan Thompson coming into the game. Kelly was at 90 pitches through five innings with Bohm, Stott and Realmuto due up.
Merrill Kelly doesn't want any handshakes. pic.twitter.com/NIdoOcVf1C
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) October 23, 2023
7:06 p.m. End top sixth: Lorenzen gets Longoria to ground into a 6-4-3 double play to set the side down in order.
7:05 p.m.: Thomas is on for the second time today, slapping a base hit the other way to give the Diamondbacks a one-out baserunner.
7:04 p.m.: Gurriel puts a charge into the first pitch he sees, but flies out to right to lead off the inning.
7 p.m. End of fifth: Kelly keeps cruising as he gets Harper to chase a curveball in the dirt for strike three. He sets down the top of the Phillies lineup in order.
6:58 p.m.: Turner makes hard contact on a cutter just off the center of the plate, but flies it out to Thomas in center for the second out.
6:58 p.m.: Schwarber comes up empty on a curveball that drops right in the middle of the zone. Mistake pitch that he can't hit.
6:53 p.m. End top fifth: Pham strikes out swinging at a sinker placed at the low-and-in corner, and the Diamondbacks will strand two runners in scoring position after Walker swiped second the pitch before.
6:51 p.m.: The Diamondbacks first baseman again lives up to his surname, as Walker picks up his second walk of the game. Pham will bat with two outs and runners on the corners.
6:48 p.m.: Moreno hits a slow grounder to short, but Turner's playing too shallow for Marte to score from third. Moreno's thrown out at first, and Walker will be the batter with two outs and a runner on third.
6:44 p.m. Diamondbacks scoring play: Marte's outstanding NLCS continues as he rips a line drive down the right-field line. Carroll scores easily and Marte races around the bases all the way to third for a triple. And two batters in to Nola's third time through the order, he's pulled for Michael Lorenzen. Diamondbacks 4, Phillies 1
6:42 p.m.: On the eighth pitch of the at-bat, Carroll yanks a fastball into center field for a one-out single.
6:38 p.m.: Nola keeps rolling as he gets Perdomo to fly out easily to center. Top of the order due up, the third time Nola will face them.
6:34 p.m. End of fourth: Both sides go down in order, with Rojas flying out to center to end the fourth.
6:33 p.m.: Marsh is caught looking at a backdoor cutter for strike three.
6:32 p.m.: Castellanos starts the Phillies' half of the frame with a high bouncer to Marte for the first out.
6:27 p.m. End top fourth: Nola gets his first one-two-three inning of the afternoon, striking out Longoria on three pitches.
6:26 p.m.: Thomas gets a hold of an 87 mph changeup, but sends it on a sinking liner to Rohas, who snags it just above the ground.
6:24 p.m.: Gurriel starts the fourth by popping out to Turner.
6:20 p.m. End of third: Stott swipes second, but it doesn't wind up mattering as Kelly gets Realmuto chasing a high fastball to strike out and leave Stott stranded.
6:16 p.m.: Stott rolls a slow grounder to Marte. He flips to get Bohm at second, but Perdomo doesn't try to nab the speedy Stott at first.
6:15 p.m.: Bohm goes inside-out, shooting a fastball on the inner third into right for a one-out single.
6:14 p.m.: Kelly catches Harper looking at a slider to set down the Phillies' most dangerous hitter for the first out.
6:10 p.m. End top third: Pham bounces into a 5-4-3 double play to end the frame. Nola is up to 58 pitches through three innings.
6:09 p.m.: Walker lays off a curveball that just misses clipping the down-and-away corner for a one-out walk.
6:07 p.m.: Moreno flies out to center to start the top of the third.
6:02 p.m. End of second: Turner comes up empty chasing a curveball and Kelly escapes with only the one run allowed.
6 p.m.: Kelly remains careful with Schwarber, making sure to keep everything around the edge of the zone with the exception of a low fastball that Schwarber fouled away. But he winds up laying off a sinker below the zone on a full count to draw his second walk of the day.
5:56 p.m.: Johan Rojas sends a slow dribbler up the middle, and Perdomo is able to throw him out at first. Marsh moves up to third, and Schwarber, who walked on four pitches his first plate appearance, will hit with two away.
5:53 p.m. Phillies scoring play: Marsh likes the first pitch he sees and lines it into right, scoring Realmuto from second. He moves up to second on the throw. Diamondbacks 3, Phillies 1
5:52 p.m.: Nick Castellanos is caught looking at a sinker that clips the bottom of the zone for the first out.
5:50 p.m.: J.T. Realmuto ropes a double past Thomas in center and races around to second for a leadoff double. Phillies off to a good start looking to respond to Arizona's big inning.
5:46 p.m. End top second: Phillies dodge any further damage as Marte flies out to Brandon Marsh in left. Still, Arizona has to be feeling good with three runs across in the top of the second.
5:44 p.m.: Big out for the Phillies as Carroll grounds out to Harper at first, holding Longoria at third. Marte will bat with two outs and a runner still on third.
5:41 p.m.: Perdomo flies out to right just in front of the warning track, deep enough to get Longoria over to third still with just one out.
5:38 p.m. Diamondbacks scoring play: After throwing four outside the zone, Nola throws a pitch right down the middle of the play, and Evan Longoria ropes it into the left-center gap. Thomas races all the way around from first to score. Still no outs in the inning. Diamondbacks 3, Phillies 0
5:37 p.m.: Nola now having a hard time hitting the strike zone. He misses on four straight to walk Alek Thomas, eliciting a mound visit.
5:35 p.m. Diamondbacks scoring play: Make it back-to-back jacks by the Dbacks. Gurriel cranks a low sinker into the left-field stands, and Arizona is up now by two. Diamondbacks 2, Phillies 0
5:33 p.m. Diamondbacks scoring play: Tommy Pham crushes a 79 mph curveball from Nola to left field for a solo homer to put the Diamondbacks on the board first. Diamondbacks 1, Phillies 0
5:28 p.m. End of first: The Diamondbacks work around the two walks as Stott pops out to Geraldo Perdomo at short to end the inning.
5:26 p.m.: Kelly paints a fastball on the down-and-in corner to Alec Bohm to catch him looking for strike three and the second out of the inning. Bryson Stott will hope to keep the Phillies' half-inning going.
5:23 p.m.: Another quick walk, this one on five pitches to Bryce Harper, puts runners on first and second for the Phillies with one out.
5:22 p.m.: Trea Turner just misses making this a 2-0 game, instead lifting a high fly to the warning track in left, where it's caught by Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
5:20 p.m.: Kelly scatters four pitches outside the strike zone to walk Kyle Schwarber to lead off the bottom half of the first.
5:16 p.m. End top first: Christian Walker's disappointing NLCS continues as he swings and misses at three straight pitches, last chasing a high heater, to end the inning.
5:14 p.m.: The Diamondbacks have their first hit of the game as Gabriel Moreno grounds a curveball up through the middle of the field into center for a two-out single.
5:11 p.m.: Ketel Marte comes up empty chasing a low curveball, and Nola is rolling early with back-to-back strikeouts.
5:09 p.m.: Nola works back into the count and catches Carroll looking at an up-and-in sinker for strike three to start the game.
5:08 p.m.: Nola's first pitch is up and away to Corbin Carroll, and Game 6 of the 2023 NLCS is underway.
4:30 p.m.: It's going to be Merrill Kelly vs. Aaron Nola on the mound in Game 6 of the NLCS. Here's how the teams will look behind the two starters.
Won't back down. #EmbraceTheChaos pic.twitter.com/K0Y0kYFLnR
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) October 23, 2023
Let's roll. #RingTheBell
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) October 23, 2023
📺: @TBSNetwork
📻: @SportsRadioWIP pic.twitter.com/Z9LUqPKDxP
2:30 p.m.: Weather will not be an issue for this one. It's supposed to be 62 degrees and sunny at first pitch and stay pleasant throughout the evening.
Alec Bohm’s BP beneath a brilliant blue sky in South Philly. Beautiful scene for Game 6. @MLBNetwork pic.twitter.com/zhI5hVQaBI
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) October 23, 2023
1:05 p.m.: The lineups are in! The Diamondbacks desperately need to get more out of the top of their order tonight, as Corbin Carroll, Christian Walker and Tommy Pham enter the game a combined 5 for 49 (.102) with one extra-base hit in the series.
Let's roll. #RingTheBell
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) October 23, 2023
📺: @TBSNetwork
📻: @SportsRadioWIP pic.twitter.com/Z9LUqPKDxP
Won't back down. #EmbraceTheChaos pic.twitter.com/K0Y0kYFLnR
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) October 23, 2023
Phillies vs. Diamondbacks series schedule
The NLCS is in Philadelphia to stay, as both Game 6 and a potential Game 7 will be played at Citizens Bank Park.
Here is the complete schedule for the 2023 NLCS, including results from the first five games of the series.
| Date | Game | Start time (ET) | TV channel | Result |
| Monday, Oct. 16 | Diamondbacks at Phillies | 8:07 p.m. | TBS | PHI 5, ARI 3 (PHI, 1-0) |
| Tuesday, Oct. 17 | Diamondbacks at Phillies | 8:07 p.m. | TBS | PHI 10, ARI 0 (PHI, 2-0) |
| Thursday, Oct. 19 | Phillies at Diamondbacks | 5:07 p.m. | TBS | ARI 2, PHI 1 (PHI, 2-1) |
| Friday, Oct. 20 | Phillies at Diamondbacks | 8:07 p.m. | TBS | ARI 6, PHI 5 (TIE, 2-2) |
| Saturday, Oct. 21 | Phillies at Diamondbacks | 8:07 p.m. | TBS | PHI 6, ARI 1 (PHI, 3-2) |
| Monday, Oct. 23 | Diamondbacks at Phillies | 5:07 p.m. | TBS | -- |
| Tuesday, Oct. 24 | Diamondbacks at Phillies* | 8:07 p.m. | TBS | -- |
* - If necessary
How to watch 2023 MLB playoff games
The NLCS is carried exclusively by TBS, while the American League playoff games will be carried by either Fox or FS1. Each World Series game will be broadcast on Fox.
Fans in Canada can watch NLCS games on Sportsnet.
MORE: How 'Dancing on My Own' became Phillies' playoff anthem
Phillies vs. Diamondbacks live streams
The series will be broadcast on TBS, so Game 6 between the Phillies and Diamondbacks can be live-streamed with Sling.
NLCS games can be streamed in Canada on Fubo.
