ST. LOUIS — Everything you needed to know about Rob Thomson was summed up in one image from Friday’s Game 1 win.
With the bases loaded and one away, Jean Segura poked a low and outside slider to right field for a two-run single, giving the Phillies the lead in the ninth inning. Segura jumped when he realized the ball went past the diving Tommy Edman. The dugout went nuts.
Except for Thomson. He promised that he would be same guy through the highs and lows. In the Phillies’ moment of triumph, Thomson looked like he just noticed his check engine light was on.
“I may looked relax, but there’s times where I’m not relaxed,” Thomson said on Thursday. “No matter what, you have to have that relaxed presence if you’re in any type of leadership spot at all.”
His consistency, even in times when Thomson could loosen up a bit, is part of the reason why players have so much respect and admiration for him.
“He’s not so robotical. I guess you can say is the first thing that sticks out to me,” Zack Wheeler said on Thursday. “Not saying anybody else that we have was or anything like that. I’m just saying he’s a person. You can have a conversation with the guy. Everybody respects him for what he’s done on the field throughout his career, the magnitude of players that he’s been around. He’s a special guy. He cares about us.
“Anybody that has your back like that. We have his back and he’s a good teacher and good person to have in charge of our clubhouse. Everyone really loves him and we like to play for him.”
Love for Stott
Speaking of love and admiration, Bryson Stott’s two biggest supporters happen to be two of the longest-tenured veteran players on the club.
We all know about his big brother, little brother relationship with Bryce Harper. Both players are from Las Vegas, Nevada. The two knew each other before Stott was drafted in the first round by the Phillies in 2019. Stott’s mom coached Harper’s sister in cheerleading. The two are spring training roommates.
“It was really cool the other night being able to kind of celebrate with one of your best friends,” Harper said. “It was a really cool opportunity for kind of both of us to sit back and look at it and think, ‘Wow, we’re actually doing this together.’ I’m really proud of him. I’m really happy for him. He’s got a lot of work ahead, and he’s got the baseball mentality. He’s got the baseball mindset. He wants to win, and he has a lot of fun doing it.”
Stott’s four-pitch walk in the eighth against Giovanny Gallegos played a huge role in the Phillies’ eventual eighth inning comeback. The first three pitches were way out of the zone, but he took a close fastball off the corner for ball four. Cardinals manager Oli Marmol then opted to go to Ryan Helsley for the final five outs of the game. Maybe the results are much different if Helsley only pitched the ninth.
He saw 19 total pitches in four plate appearances in game one. Stott does not have a hit yet in the series, but his at-bats in the first game were impressive. His double play mate took notice.
“To be able to play with that level of calm, especially in the postseason. He walked twice today. He take really good at-bats,” Jean Segura said. “That’s Philadelphia. Have to love this kid, man. It’s not easy to [be 25 years old] in the postseason and be at the level to play the game the way he played.
“He basically looked like he’s 34-35. He’s only 25. I think he’s going to keep learning a lot of time, attention, some stuff of the game and the kid listens. And I think he’s going to be a really good baseball player.”
Notes
- Cardinals manager Oli Marmol said Helsley’s MRI on his right middle finger came back clean. He’s unavailable for Saturday’s game after throwing 33 pitches and surrendering four runs in game one.
- Thomson said pregame that every pitcher on the roster, outside of Zack Wheeler, is available to throw in Game 2. Does that mean Ranger Suárez could come out of the bullpen? Maybe in a marathon type situation similar to the Guardians-Rays Game 2 that ended in the 15th inning. It would probably be a last resort. “In my mind, the next game we play, Ranger is going to start,” Thomson said.
Here are the lineups for Saturday’s Game 2 against St. Louis.
Cardinals
- Lars Nootbaar, center field
- Albert Pujols, designated hitter
- Paul Goldschmidt, first base
- Nolan Arenado, third base
- Brendan Donavan, second base
- Juan Yepez, right field
- Corey Dickerson, left field
- Yadier Molina, catcher
- Tommy Edman, shortstop
Starting Pitcher: RHP Miles Mikolas
Phillies
- Kyle Schwarber, left field
- Rhys Hoskins, first base
- J.T. Realmuto, catcher
- Bryce Harper, designated hitter
- Nick Castellanos, right field
- Alec Bohm, third base
- Brandon Marsh, center field
- Jean Segura, second base
- Bryson Stott, shortstop
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