Tuesday night, Ranger Suárez improved to 9-0 and struck out 10 in seven innings as he led the Philadelphia Phillies to their MLB-high 35th victory, a 5-2 triumph over the Texas Rangers, the reigning World Series champions.
Suárez’s opening run of the season is among the greatest in baseball history, rivaling that of Hall of Famers Grover Alexander and Juan Marichal.
With his 11th home run of the year, Bryce Harper helped the Phillies continue their winning streak at 11 games with a victory, marking one of their finest starts ever.
For the second time since 1976, the Phillies have won 35 of their first 49 games. The Phillies have won 27 games in a 33-game span for the first time since at least 1901, with a current record of 27-6.
There hasn’t been a better pitcher in baseball this season than Suárez.
Harper stated, “He knows what it takes to win games,”
After ending the seventh inning with a 91.6 mph sinker that caught Leody Taveras off guard, the 28-year-old lefty was showered with applause. After receiving a no-decision in his season debut, Suárez went on to win nine out of ten starts.
Via an interpreter, Suárez remarked, “I just try to throw and do the best work that I can.”
After making his first ten starts of the season, Suárez’s ERA dropped to 1.36, the third lowest of any Phillies starter. Suárez is behind Alexander, who recorded 1.24 and 1.31 ERAs in his first ten starts in 1916 and 1915, respectively.
Since Marichal accomplished the feat for the San Francisco Giants in 1966, Suárez is the first pitcher to start 9-0 with a sub-1.50 ERA through 10 starts. In addition, he is the first pitcher for the Phillies to win nine or more straight starts since Robin Roberts in 1952.
“It’s kind of mind-boggling, this historic run that he’s been on,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson remarked.
For his eighth save, Jose Alvarado worked a scoreless ninth inning.
With Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola in the rotation already, Ranger defeated the Rangers and maintained his position as Philadelphia’s finest pitcher this year. In the eighth inning, Suárez gave up a run and walked two before giving up to Jeff Hoffman.
In the eighth, Corey Seager scored on a solo shot off of Hoffman to tie the score 3-2.
With two men on base, Matt Strahm ended the inning by retiring Nathaniel Lowe with just two outs on a sharp line hit to left field.
This three-game series is very nearly a replay of the World Series. Following Arizona’s victory in Games 6 and 7 in Philadelphia to rally and eliminate the Phillies in the NL Championship Series, the Rangers defeated Arizona in just five games to win the franchise’s first World Series.
Suárez let up an RBI single to left by Marcus Semien in the third, which put him in an unusual early deficit.
After Kyle Schwarber’s run-scoring single in the third and Alec Bohm’s RBI single in the fourth, the Phillies led 2-1 against Jon Gray (2-2). In the sixth inning, Harper hit a single off Rangers reliever Jacob Latz to give the team a 3-1 lead and end a 12-game losing streak that had stretched back to 2014.
With a double in the eighth, Bohm—who has 11 RBIs during his current seven-game hitting streak—scored his NL-best 44th RBI, and Bryson Stott followed with a sacrifice fly to give the team a 5-2 lead.
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy stated, “They’re getting big hits and they’re pitching well.” “They’re a very good offensive club. They’re one of the best teams in baseball, right now, that’s how well they’re playing.”