The Philadelphia Phillies were down to their final out in Friday’s series opener against the Miami Marlins, with their 12-game road winning streak and place in the National League Wild Card standings at stake.
Two pitches later, Cristian Pache delivered a two-run home run off of Marlins closer A.J. Puk, giving the Phillies a 4-3 lead they wouldn’t relinquish:
In the home half of the ninth inning, Craig Kimbrel induced a double play off the bat of Joey Wendle, before getting Yuli Gurriel to pop up in foul territory for the final out of the game.
It was easily the biggest hit in the young career of Pache, who had hit five home runs in 350 previous MLB at-bats. The former top prospect was acquired in an Opening Day-eve trade with the Oakland Athletics, having slashed just .156/.205/.234 in his first 115 career MLB games between the Atlanta Braves and A’s.
But after his pinch-hit home run Friday, Pache has 14 hits in his first 43 at-bats as a Phillie, giving him a .325 batting average to pair with world-class outfield defense. Who knows if Pache will ever hit well enough to be an every day player, but given that he won’t even become eligible for arbitration until 2025, the Phillies seem to have struck gold in their acquisition of the 24-year-old.
With the win, the Phillies have now tied a franchise record with 13 consecutive road victories, including a 4-0 start to the final roadtrip before the All-Star Break.
Most importantly, Pache’s dramatic home run helped the Phillies to improve to 48-39, nine games above .500. The Phillies currently control the third and final Wild Card spot in the NL, and are just 1 1/2 games back of the Marlins for the top spot in the senior circuit’s Wild Card race. If Rob Thomson’s squad is able to sweep the Marlins this weekend, there’s a world where the Phillies enter the All-Star Break at the top of the Wild Card race in the NL. And given how the Phillies have played on the road recently, who are we to bet against that happening?
Shibe Vintage Sports Notes
- Zack Wheeler finished the first half of the season with a 4.05 ERA, after he allowed seven hits and three runs over six innings.
- Since the Phillies acquired him from the Marlins in February of 2019, J.T. Realmuto has nine home runs in 53 games against his former team:
- Luis Arraez‘s batting average peaked at .402 on June 23, but a few weeks of “only” All-Star level production have made his quest to become the first hitter since Ted Williams in 1941 to hit .400 or better in a season seem unlikely. After going 1-for-4 Friday, Arraez’s batting average has dipped to a meager .386.
- Reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcántara entered the evening with a very disappointing 4.93 ERA over his first 17 starts, including getting shelled for nine runs over four innings on April 10 at Citizens Bank Park. But the two-time All-Star looked much more like himself Friday, scattering eight hits over 6 2/3 innings, with the home run by Realmuto representing the only run allowed.
Ticket IQ Next Game
- Saturday, July 8 vs. Marlins at loanDepot Park
- 4:10 p.m. ET
- TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
- Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
- Spanish Radio: WTTM 1680
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