In franchise's first Game 7, Phillies have faith in Ranger Suarez, their Sandy Koufax
PHILADELPHIA – Ranger Suarez came out of the bullpen to record the last two outs and finish the 2022 National League Championship Series for the victorious Phillies.
On Tuesday night back at Citizens Bank Park, he gets the opportunity to start and lay the groundwork for what the Phillies hope will be an equally successful outcome.
Suarez isn’t likely to again be at the center of the celebratory mob should the Phillies repeat as National League pennant winners.
But they should and will feel fortunate to have him out there for the 8:07 p.m. start and several innings after that, knowing it boosts the Phillies’ chances.
“It’s a very exciting opportunity, and tomorrow is going to be a great day,” Suarez said Monday.
Certainly, the Phillies would have preferred not to need the first Game 7 in franchise history to decide their NLCS with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Last year’s win over San Diego required just five games. Monday night’s sleepy 5-1 setback in Game 6 necessitated another.
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But the fact they have Suarez to start should comfort the Phillies and fuel the fervor for the sellout crowd that’ll be there to herald him and, they’ll hope, enjoy a happier ending than Monday’s.
“I think he’s right man, right spot,” Nick Castellanos said after Monday’s loss. “And I know that we’re all excited for him to take tomorrow.”
Suarez enters the game with a career postseason earned-run average of 0.94 in eight games with six starts.
It is the lowest ERA in MLB postseason history for a minimum of five starts.
Who is No. 2? Only Sandy Koufax, whose name still inspires awe today. His was 0.95 in 57 innings, all World Series games in the pre-divisional late 1950s and early 1960s.
Suarez has thrown just 28⅔ innings in a modern postseason in which starters do not pitch as deep into games. He has gone 5⅓ innings once and five innings three times in his longest postseason endeavors.
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It may be the same Tuesday night. But if he’s as effective as he’s been, the Phillies will benefit, especially if they hit the ball better than they did in Suarez’s last start Thursday against young Arizona starter Brandon Pfaadt.
“We talked about it after we lost Game 4,” Kyle Schwarber said. “We’d take [Zack] Wheeler, [Aaron] Nola and Ranger and try to win a series 2 out of 3. I’d sign up for that every time.”
Pfaadt has his own Koufaxian claim, becoming the first pitcher in MLB history to allow zero runs with zero walks in back-to-back postseason starts, though they just lasted 4⅓ and 5⅔ innings.
Perhaps the Phillies will feast on Pfaadt this time.
As for Suarez, his calm demeanor should be valuable in such high stakes.
“I don't think he'll be too nervous out there,” Phils manager Rob Thomson said. “He's a cool customer. He'll go out there and pitch his game.”
The Phillies have never reached the seventh game in their eight trips to the World Series, first held in 1903, or five previous NLCS appearances since it became best of seven in 1985.
But they have played in three previous best-of-5 elimination games: Beating the Astros, then in the National League, in the 1980 NLCS; losing to the Montreal Expos in 1981 when first- and second-half division champions met due to that year’s players’ strike; and losing the 2011 NLDS against St. Louis in that classic Roy Halladay-Chris Carpenter showdown.
Now it’s Suarez’s time.
“There’s always a first time, and it’s my turn now,” he said. “I’m excited to be on the mound tomorrow.”
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This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Philadelphia Phillies; Ranger Suarez in record book with Sandy Koufax
