Once dominant in the NL East, the Phillies are now fumbling in October, with a 2–9 record in their past 11 playoff games. The latest loss came against the reigning World Series champions, the LA Dodgers, in Game 2. Reason? Rob Thomson’s controversial call in the ninth inning not only failed on the diamond, it also caused a live meltdown on NBC’s Phillies Postgame Live, showing flaws in strategy under the biggest lights.

The moment in question came with the Phillies trailing by one run in the bottom of the ninth. Nick Castellanos stood on second with nobody out, the exact scenario teams dream about. Rob Thomson called for a bunt from Bryson Stott instead of letting him swing away. The Dodgers read it perfectly. Max Muncy charged hard, fielded cleanly, and fired to third, gunning dow

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