Didi Gregorius hit a monster home run in his debut with the Philadelphia Phillies, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a strong performance from Miami Marlins’ starter Sandy Alcantara and a trio of new position players.
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- Francisco Cervelli got the Marlins into the hits column with one out in the top of the third inning by spraying a ball into right field. He was advanced to third base on a single by Miguel Rojas. Cervelli was then plated on a sacrifice fly by new Marlin Jonathan Villar.
- Didi Gregorius tied the game in the bottom of the fifth inning with a 376-foot home run. With Andrew McCutchen hitting a leadoff home run to begin the 2019 season, it was the second consecutive season that the Phillies first home run of the season came from a player competing in their first game with the team:
- The tie didn’t last long, though, as Jesus Aguilar launched a go-ahead two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth:
- Following a one-out double off the bat of former Phillie Corey Dickerson, Ramon Rosso came to relieve Nola. It wasn’t a positive Major League Debut from Rosso, as he allowed Dickerson to reach the plate after throwing two wild pitches that even J.T. Realmuto couldn’t block. The final pitch that Rosso threw was a ball that Marlins’ DH Garrett Cooper lined into the left-center field gap, allowing Harold Ramirez to score and extend the lead to 5-1.
- The Phillies did get a run back in the bottom of the seventh inning. As Villar glided under a fly ball off the bat of Jay Bruce, he lost focus and failed to put away what would have been an inning-ending catch. Instead, the ball dropped, allowing Gregorius to score for the second time.
- With Bruce on second base, Scott Kingery stepped to the plate and hit a ball that was home run distance. Unfortunately it hooked just to the left of the foul pole in left field, and Kingery ultimately grounded out to end the seventh inning.
- J.T. Realmuto worked a 3-0 count on Marlins’ reliever Yimi Garcia with runners on first and second base and two outs in the bottom of the eighth. Unfortunately for the Phillies, he grounded back to Garcia to end the inning.
Shibe Vintage Sports Starting Pitching Performance
- Aaron Nola – While Nola’s breaking pitches looked sharp early on and he struck out seven, he gave up four runs over 5.1 innings. He walked just one batter, but that proved to be a costly one, as the next batter, the aforementioned Aguilar, hit a two-run home.
- Sandy Alcantara – The Marlins’ best pitcher a season ago, Alcantara continued his success against the Phillies, allowing just one earned run and three hits in 6.2 innings.
Phillies Nuggets Player of the Game: Sandy Alcantara
- Alcantara and the Marlins beat the Phillies in the final game of the 2019 season, and again to open the 2020 season. The 24-year-old is now 4-1 with a 2.51 ERA in five career starts against the Phillies.
- Saturday, July 25 vs. Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park
- 4:05 p.m. ET
- TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
- Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
- Pitching matchup: Caleb Smith (Mia) vs. Zack Wheeler (Phi)
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