Tanner Banks’ high-wire act leads to series win over Nationals

PHILADELPHIA — Phillies left-handed reliever Tanner Banks came into Sunday’s eventual 3-2 Phillies win in an impossible spot.

With the bases loaded, nobody out and the go-ahead run at the plate in the top of the eighth inning, Banks jogged to the mound to face the top of the Nationals order.

The matchup favored Banks. The first two batters, James Wood and CJ Abrams, were lefties that Nationals interim manager Miguel Cairo was not going to pinch hit for.

Banks started off the first hitter Wood with two pitches on the outside corner for balls. The impatient crowd at Citizens Bank Park booed, as José Alvarado walked two to put Banks in this predicament.

But Banks has made a living off sequencing. He came back inside to tie up Wood, getting him to ground into a double play that scored a run, but led to a pathway for an escape. The next batter Abrams flew out to center field to end the threat.

The dirty inning was over. It was the first time a Phillies pitcher recorded three outs while facing only two batters since Jeff Hoffman did it on Aug. 21, 2023 against the Giants.

“Right now, with as much confidence as he has, I don’t think he’s afraid of anything,” manager Rob Thomson said about Banks. “Feels like whatever the situation is, he can get people out.”

Banks has also made a living off getting lefties out late in games. He is essentially the closest thing to a lefty specialist in a three-batter minimum world. He is second only to Joe Ross, a long reliever, in left-handed batters faced as a Phillies reliever. After Sunday’s game, left-handed hitters are batting .163 with three extra-base hits against Banks in 2025.

“It’s about being able to command the ball away to those guys, get that front hip leaking,” Thomson said. “And he’s got some swing-and-miss. Like I said, he’s been a godsend for us.”

The Phillies acquired Banks in exchange for shortstop prospect William Bergolla Jr. from the Chicago White Sox in the closing minutes of the 2024 trade deadline. His name was never mentioned in trade rumors. He was the only player acquired via trade at that year’s deadline that was under team control beyond the 2024 season.

The move has paid dividends. Since joining the Phillies, Banks is 5-3 with a 3.14 ERA across 80 1/3 innings.

He has enjoyed his year-long journey in Philadelphia.

“It’s a testament to what collectively we are trying to do here,” Banks said. “Everyone’s pulling from the same end of the rope from analytics and coaches to players and training staff to strength coaches and nutrition. It’s a complete puzzle that we’re kind of putting together. I think everyone has done a tremendous job. I mean, you can say you did this or that, but it really is a collective effort top to bottom.”

Even after adding righties David Robertson and Jhoan Duran to the back end at this year’s deadline, Banks will still be an essential part of the club’s late-inning mix during the stretch run.

If the Phillies and Dodgers met in the postseason, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Banks matched up against the game’s best in the left-handed hitting Shohei Ohtani in a big spot.

His extensive arsenal plays up against the top left-handed hitters in the game, as evidenced by the Wood at-bat.

“I think being able to throw pitches that move in and out. To throw a sinker, as well as maybe like a cutter or a slider,” Banks said. “To the point, you watch Ranger throw changeups in on lefties. An extra weapon on top of a sinker, on top of a slider, on top of a cutter and then curveball. A couple pitches moving in. A couple pitches moving away. So you’re not giving them the same look over and over.”

Banks acknowledged that it was the first time he stood in front of the backdrop used for postgame interviews inside the Phillies clubhouse. Being a reliever is a thankless job. His teammate Matt Strahm compares it to being a kicker in the NFL. You only get noticed when you mess up.

But Banks’ high-wire act won the Phillies a series. It called for him to take center stage. He was “trying to say something funny” in response to a question about his role changing with Alvarado’s addition, but came up with something a little more straightforward.

“We’re all going to do our best to pick each other up, because that’s what championship baseball looks like,” Banks said.