Phillies fans hope the team’s early season success leads to another World Series appearance
Because the Atlanta Braves are loaded with talent, the Phillies weren’t even supposed to be the best team in their division.
Yet, as the calendar moved toward the middle of the season, Rob Thomson’s team had the top record in Major League Baseball.
There were many reasons for their ascension. Starting pitching, led by coming-into-his-own Ranger Suarez, was at the top of the list. The Phils were also among the league’s elite in clutch hitting (hello, Alec Bohm), and their bullpen was top-notch.
Oh, and don’t forget their depth. Edmundo Sosa filled in spectacularly when star shortstop Trea Turner went down with a strained left hamstring in early May, and minor-league call-up Kody Clemens also provided many key hits while playing several positions.
Entering mid-June, the Phillies already had a pair of seven-game winning streaks, along with a six-gamer. They had the National League’s best pitching staff with a 2.93 team ERA and led the majors in runs scored. The bullpen, led by Jeff Hoffman, Matt Strahm, Jose Alvarado and rookie Orion Kerkering, has also been solid.
Said Strahm: “We have a bullpen full of disgusting arms.”
In short, the Phillies were the definition of consistency in the first few months. On the mound. At the plate. In the field.
Need to Finish What They Started
They were proud of their hot start — the Phils were the 26th team since 1900 to win 36 of their first 50 games — but knew it meant little if it didn’t lead to a World Series title.
The last team to go 36-14 was Seattle in 2001. Those Mariners finished with 116 regular season wins.
“And what did they do at the end?” Thomson asked reporters, knowing the answer, knowing the Mariners lost in the League Championship Series. “You’ve got to keep going. You’ve just got to keep grinding, pushing all the way through.”
After a June series in London against the New York Mets, the Phillies had a major-league-best 45-20 record.
“We’ve got a long way to go,” slugging first baseman Bryce Harper said.
The previous two seasons, the Phils reached the playoffs via a wild-card berth, then upset the division-winning Braves in the postseason.
The Phillies’ hot start, coupled with a season-ending knee injury to Atlanta star Ronald Acuna Jr., last year’s National League MVP, makes Philadelphia the favorite to win the Eastern Division. If that happens, the Braves – who will likely secure a wild-card spot – would try to copy the Phillies’ recent script in the playoffs.
But October is months away. For now, the Phillies are trying to show they can carry their sizzling start through the dog days of summer.
Amazing Start
How hot was their start? Well, at one point, they won 28 of 34 games. That’s the first time they had such a stretch since (gulp) 1895.
Before the season, if you had been told the Phillies would get off to such a historic start, you probably would have thought Harper, Turner, Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola and J.T. Realmuto would have led the way.
Those players (when healthy) have played great, but it was the 28-year-old Suarez who was the team’s early-season MVP, with RBI machine Bohm close behind.
Bohm has been blossoming in recent years, hitting 20 homers and collecting 97 RBIs last season. He was also the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 draft, so his emergence isn’t a big surprise.
Suarez, on the other hand, has exceeded expectations. Big time.
At the recommendation of international scouting director Sal Agostinelli, the Phillies signed the then-16-year-old lefthander as a free agent in 2012 and gave him $25,000.
It was an investment that has paid surprisingly huge dividends, a penny stock that has skyrocketed.
“I just try to keep the game close so the team can try to go out and get a win,” said Suarez, who had a 32-inning scoreless streak early this season. “That’s the most important thing.”
Cy Young Candidate
Suarez was a solid performer in 134 career games before this season. This year, however, he established himself as an early Cy Young candidate by going 10-1 in his first 13 starts. Heading into mid-June, he led the majors in wins, ERA (1.81) and WHIP (0.85).
More numbers: Suarez was the first Phillie to win nine straight since 1910 (Earl Moore), and the first pitcher to start 9-0 with a sub 1.50 ERA through 10 starts since Hall of Famer Juan Marichal in 1966.
Thomson said Suarez, who plays with unbridled enthusiasm, is a throwback pitcher.
“He’s kind of old-school in that he’s not going to light up the radar gun,” the manager said. “But he’s going to command the baseball, he’s going to work fast, he’s going to change speeds.
“It’s just really fun for me to watch.”
Suarez’s transformation has been startling. Credit his much-improved walk rate. He doesn’t overpower hitters, but he hits his spots and shows great command.
The Venezuelan native does it with an unflappable nature.
“He has no heartbeat,” Harper said earlier in the season.
Suarez has given the Phillies arguably the best Big Three – with Wheeler and Nola – in the majors. All three have pitched brilliantly so far. If they stay healthy, they could make the second half of the season – and the playoffs and perhaps beyond – miserable for their opponents.
“I’ve always said that pitching wins championships,” Harper said. “We’ve got a really good opportunity with the guys we have.”
Numbing Numbers
As the Phillies headed toward the 70-game mark, Wheeler, Nola and Suarez had a combined 25-6 record, along with 252 strikeouts and just 65 walks in 244 2/3 innings. Wheeler (7-3, 2.23 ERA) and Nola (8-2, 2.77) have been almost as good as Suarez. Christopher Sanchez (2.77 ERA) wasn’t too shabby himself in his first 12 starts.
Sanchez aside, the Big Three have been the talk of the baseball world, forming the Phillies’ best trio since 2011, when Roy Halladay (19-6, 2.35 ERA), Cliff Lee (17-8, 2.40) and Cole Hamels (14-9, 2.79 ERA) led the Phils to a 102-60 record. That team lost to the St, Louis Cardinals in the National League Division Series, three games to two. In a memorable Game 5, St. Louis’ Chris Carpenter outdueled Halladay, 1-0.
That 2011 season should be a lesson for the 2024 Phillies. A great Big Three doesn’t guarantee a World Series spot. In a short series, all parts of the team’s game must be in sync.
Like they have been for the first few months of this ultra-promising season.
Photo courtesy of Mrs. Baseball
