PHILADELPHIA — Kyle Gibson tapped the outside of his mitt as he walked off the mound after the top of the seventh inning Saturday night. It was subtle, understated, the mark of a pitcher who has been through almost everything in a 10-year major league career.
But there’s one thing Gibson hasn’t done. He has never started a playoff game.
Don’t look now, but the Phillies are marching to the postseason. They stomped the Pittsburgh Pirates, 6-0, behind a three-run first-inning double by J.T. Realmuto and seven sparkling innings from Gibson, continuing their torching of the dregs of the National League Central. They’ve won six consecutive games, four over the gutted Cincinnati Reds and now two over the Pirates, with a chance for a sweep Sunday.
