Series Tied at 0-0
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS NOTES:
EMBRACE THE CHAOS: The D-backs are in the Postseason for the seventh time in franchise history: 1999, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2011, 2017 and 2023.
♦ It is the D-backs’ first National League Championship Series appearance since 2007 (Oct 11-15) when they faced the Rockies and third in club history (also: 2001 vs. Braves).
♦ Today marks the latest the D-backs have played into a calendar year since their 2001 World Series run.
♦ It is the first time the D-backs are facing off with the Phillies in the Postseason and first time since 1995 in which there are 2 Postseason matchups that had never occurred previously.
♦ In 45 Postseason games as a franchise, the D-backs are 23-22 (.511), 14-8 @ home, 9-14 on the road.
POSTSEASON SUMMARY: Arizona has outscored opponents 30-to-11 in 5 games this Postseason, sweeping both the Wild Card and Division series.
♦ 4 of the D-backs’ 5 victories have come on the road.
♦ Arizona had 2 consecutive comeback road wins in Milwaukee and never trailed in its 2 games in Los Angeles.
5 CONSECUTIVE POSTSEASON WINS: Arizona’s 5 consecutive Postseason wins are tied for the most in franchise history (also: 5 straight from Oct. 19-28, 2001)…it is the first time in franchise history where they have won 5+ straight games to begin a Postseason.
♦ The D-backs joined the Rangers as the only teams to each win 4+ straight road games this Postseason, which marked the second time where 2 teams have done it in the same Postseason, joining the Royals (5) and Giants (4) in 2014, who met in the World Series.
SNAKES LEADING THE POSTSEASON: Entering today, the D-backs’ 13 home runs are tied for the most this Postseason with the Phillies…Arizona is second in SLG (.530), OPS (.877), RBI (29) and stolen bases (7), tied for second in RBI (29) and total bases and third in hits
(44), runs (30) and extra-base hits (19).
TEAM HR AB TEAM SB ATT
D-backs 13 168 Phillies 9 10
Phillies 13 197 D-backs 7 10
Astros 10 169 Rangers 3 3
Rangers 8 213 Astros 1 1
DINGER SZN: The D-backs’ 13 home runs are the second most by a team in its first 5 games of a Postseason, behind only the 2020 Yankees (14).
♦ The D-backs (Corbin Carroll, Alek Thomas, Gabriel Moreno and Ketel Marte) and Phillies (Nick Castellanos, Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, Trea Turner) are the only Postseason teams to feature 4 players who have hit 2+ home runs.
♦ The D-backs are the only team to have 8 different players hit a home run (also: Tommy Pham, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Geraldo Perdomo and Christian Walker)…the Rangers have the second most with 7 players and the Phillies are third with 6.
D-BACKS POSTSEASON HOMER STREAK: Arizona has homered in 16 consecutive Postseason games dating back to 2007 NLCS Game 3 @ Rockies, which is the second-longest streak in MLB Postseason history, behind the Yankees (23 games from 2019-22):
TEAM STREAK STREAK DATE SPAN
NYY ……….. 23 ………………. 10/4/2019-10/19/2022
AZ……….. 16 …………… 10/14/2007-10/11/2023
LAD ……….. 14 ………………. 10/12/2020-10/6/2021
HOU……….. 14 ………………. 10/20/2017-10/14/2018
HOU……….. 13 ………………. 10/12/2001-10/21/2004
HOME COOKIN’:
♦ Zac Gallen grew up in Somerdale, N.J., roughly 10 miles east of Citizens Bank Park. Won his first game @ Citizens Bank Park on Aug. 26, 2021. Despite growing up a St. Louis Cardinals fan, Gallen wanted to miss his first ever day of school to attend Philadelphia’s World Series Parade on Friday, Oct. 31, 2008, but his mom said no because “he wasn’t a Phillies fan.”
♦ Christian Walker was born and raised in Norristown, Pa., approx. 25 miles northeast of Citizens Bank Park.
♦ Torey Lovullo finished his 8-year big-league career with the 1999 Phillies, skippered by Terry Francona.
WALKER-HARPER HISTORY: Christian Walker won the 2009 International Power Showcase High School Home Run Derby at Tropicana Field in Tampa, Fla., beating 16-year-old Bryce Harper.
♦ Walker was a stand-out high school at Kennedy-Kenrick in Norristown, Pa., where he hit .588 his senior season, was named to 2009 Philadelphia Inquirer All-S.E. Pennsylvania team and was rated No. 1 best high school player in the state of Pennsylvania.
RECORD VS. PHILLIES: The D-backs are 24-15 (.615) vs. Phillies since 2017, the best among non-NL East opponents in the span:
CLUB WPCT
D-backs ………… .615 (24-15) / 39 G
Giants …………………590 (23-16) / 39 G
Dodgers ……………..575 (23-17) / 40 G
Rockies ……………….524 (22-20) / 42 G
Cubs ……………………487 (19-20) / 39 G
EVEN STEVEN: The D-backs and Phillies playing against each other have the same number of wins in their last 20, 80 and 150 matchups (source: @JayCuda).
LAST # MATCHUPS AZ wins PHI wins
20 10 10
80 40 40
150 75 75
OFFENSE VS. PHILLIES: Among non-NL East opponents this season vs. Phillies, the D-backs ranked first in doubles (19) and triples (4), second in slugging (.453), extra-base hits (31) and total bases (112), third in homers (8) and RBI (33) and fourth in walks (22) and runs (34).
♦ Notable recent D-backs’ performances vs. Phillies:
PLAYER G-GS AVG OPS AB H 2B 3B HR RBI BB
Thomas 5-4 .563 1.236 16 9 1 0 0 4 2
Gurriel Jr. 10-10 .381 .991 42 16 6 0 1 4 1
Walker 20-19 .342 .996 73 25 7 1 2 12 13
Carroll 9-8 .294 .957 34 10 5 1 1 8 2
BULLPEN LOCKDOWN: D-backs’ relievers, in their last 29 games since Sept. 5, have a 2.05 ERA (28 ER in 123.0 IP), 1.02 WHIP, .196 OPP AVG and .595 OPP OPS.
♦ Over the 5 Postseason games, Arizona relievers boast a 1.77 ERA (4 ER in 20.1 IP) with 16 hits and 8 walks allowed and 23 strikeouts…they have been collectively scoreless in 3 of their 5 games this Postseason (13.0 innings).
POSTSEASON HOME RECORDS: Best Postseason home records by venue
(MIN: 20 games):
PHI Citizens Bank Park …… 25-11 ……. .694
NYM Shea Stadium ………………..26-13 ……… .667
STL Busch Stadium ………………35-18 ……… .660
AZ Chase Field …………….. 14-8 ……… .636
BAL Memorial Stadium …………19-11 ……… .633
HOU Minute Maid Park …………..36-21 ……… .632
POWER OF YOUTH: The D-backs’ 8 home runs hit by players age 23 or younger are the third most in a single Postseason, behind the 2015 Cubs (11) and 2017 Astros (9) [courtesy: Sarah Langs]…the D-backs’ players age 23 or younger have collected 8 home runs in a 5-game span while the Cubs and Astros played an average of 13 games in their respective Postseason runs.
♦ With Geraldo Perdomo, Corbin Carroll, Gabriel Moreno and Alek Thomas, the D-backs are the third team in Postseason history with 4 players age 23 or younger with a home run in a single Postseason, joining: 2020 Braves (Riley, Pache, Albies, Acuña Jr) and 2015 Cubs (Bryant, Schwarber, Soler, Báez).
♦ Corbin Carroll (age 23-047), Alek Thomas (age 23-162) and Gabriel Moreno (23-235) became the first, second and third-youngest D-backs players, respectively, in franchise history to hit multiple home runs in a Postseason.
♦ Corbin Carroll also became the third D-backs’ rookie to hit multiple home runs in a Postseason run, joining Mark Reynolds (2007) and Paul Goldschmidt (2011).
♦ Gabriel Moreno is the first catcher at age 23 or younger to collect 3+ homers in a Postseason.
WITH WEDNESDAY’S VICTORY, THE D-BACKS:
♦ Earned their second National League Division Series sweep in franchise history (def. Cubs 3-0 in 2007 NLDS).
♦ Marked the first sweep of the Dodgers in any Postseason series since the 2006 NLDS vs. Mets (LAD with 118 Postseason games since then – most in MLB)
♦ Secured 3+ consecutive wins vs. Dodgers for the first time since Sept. 4-6, 2017 @ Dodgers during the regular season.
IN CLINCH SCENARIOS: The D-backs are 7-2 all-time in potential clinch situations, including being 4-0 in 4 clinch opportunities at home [Oct. 11, 2023 vs. Dodgers (W, 4-2) in NLDS; Oct. 4, 2017 vs. Rockies (W, 11-8) in Wild Card to advance to NLDS; Nov. 4, 2001 vs. Yankees (Game 7 – W, 3-2) to win World Series; Oct. 14, 2001 vs. Cardinals (W, 2-1) to advance to NLCS].
TOTAL BAGS: Entering today, Corbin Carroll’s 14 total bases are the second most by remaining rookies this Postseason:
Most Total Bases Among Remaining Rookies This 2023 Postseason
Josh Jung/TEX ………………………………………………..17
Corbin Carroll/AZ …………………………………. 14
Evan Carter/TEX ……………………………………………..14
NO CHASE ZONE: Entering today, Christian Walker’s 11.9% chase rate is lowest among remaining players this Postseason (min. 40 out-of-zone pitches) while Corbin Carroll’s 21.3% is best among remaining rookies:
Lowest Chase Pct. – (min. 40 out-of-zone pitches seen):
Christian Walker/AZ …………………………….. 11.9
Evan Carter/TEX* ……………………………………………20.4
Kyle Schwarber/PHI ………………………………………..21.2
Corbin Carroll/AZ* ……………………………….. 21.3
Nathaniel Lowe/TEX ……………………………………….22.0
J.T. Realmuto/PHI …………………………………………..22.5
Jonah Heim/TEX …………………………………………….22.5
–*MLB Rookie
STARTING PITCHER – RHP ZAC GALLEN ♦ #23
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Making his third career Postseason start.
- Went 17-9 with a 3.47 ERA (81 ER in 210.0 IP) in his fifth season with the D-backs.
- Set career highs in virtually all categories, including wins (17), starts (34), innings (210.0) and strikeouts (220).
- Eclipsed 200.0 IP, becoming the 21st D-backs pitcher (last: Merrill Kelly in 2022) to reach the feat.
- Was the 2023 NL All-Star starting pitcher.
- Finished third with a 5.2 fWAR and tied for fourth with a 4.3 bWAR.
HAPPY HOMECOMING: Grew up in Somerdale, N.J., about 10 miles east of Citizens Bank Park.
- Despite growing up a St. Louis Cardinals fan, Gallen wanted to miss his first day ever of school to attend Philadelphia’s World Series Parade on Friday, Oct. 31, 2008, but his mom said no because “he wasn’t a Phillies fan.”
- Won his first-ever game @ Citizens Bank Park on Aug. 26, 2021.
NL RANKINGS: Ranked among qualifying NL leaders in innings pitched (2nd, 210.0), games started (2nd, 34), wins (2nd, 17), strikeouts (3rd, 220), WHIP (6th, 1.12), win percentage (6th, .654), ERA (7th, 3.47) and opponent average (T-9th, .238).
WILD CARD RECAP: Earned the win in his Postseason debut in Game 2 of the NL Wild Card on Oct. 4 @ Brewers (2 ER in 6.0 IP) that advanced the D-backs to the NLDS.
- Retired 14 of his final 18 batters faced.
LAST START: Earned his second Postseason win in Game 2 of the NLDS on Oct. 9 @ Dodgers (2 ER in 5.1 IP).
VS. PHILLIES: In 3 regular season career starts @ Citizens Bank Park, is 1-1 with a 4.38 ERA (10 R-6 ER in 12.1 IP, 11 K).
- In 5 regular season career starts vs. Phillies, is 3-1 with a 2.22 ERA (10 R-6 ER in 24.1 IP, 24 K).
200/200 SEASON: Became the sixth D-backs pitcher (12th time) to reach 200.0+ innings and 200.0+ strikeouts in a season, joining Randy Johnson (5x: 1999, 2000, ’01, ’02, ’04), Curt Schilling (2x: 2001, ’02), Dan Haren (2x: 2008, ’09), Zack Greinke (2017) and Patrick Corbin (2018)…Gallen joined Gerrit Cole/NYY (200.0 IP, 217 K) as the lone pitchers to reach the mark in 2023.
HOME COOKIN: In 16 home games, went 12-3 with a 2.47 ERA (28 ER in 102.0 IP), 120 strikeouts, 1.03 WHIP, .230 opponent average and 7 home runs allowed.
- His 2.47 home ERA ranked third-best in the Majors, behind Logan Webb/SF (2.26) and Kodai Senga/NYM (2.42).
- Ranked among D-backs pitchers in franchise history in home starts (min. 50 GS) in ERA (1st, 2.84), WHIP (1st, 1.05), home runs allowed (T-1st, 34), strikeouts per 9.0 innings (3rd, 10.27), walks (4th, 87), strikeout-to-walk ratio (4th, 4.20), wins (7th, 24) and strikeouts (7th, 365).
- His .081 opponent average with runners in scoring position at home was the best in the Majors, ahead of Justin Verlander/HOU (.164) and D-backs teammate Merrill Kelly (.167).
MILKMAN DELIVERS: Tossed his fi rst career 9.0-inning shutout on Sept. 8 @ Cubs with 3 hits allowed and 9 strikeouts.
- Previously had a 7.0-inning, complete-game shutout on April 25 – Game 1 @ Braves (7.0 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 6 K).
- Became the fourth D-backs pitcher (sixth time) to toss 9.0 or more innings, 0 runs, 3 or fewer hits, 1 or fewer walks and 9 or more strikeouts (also: Curt Schilling on April 10, 2001 and May 14, 2003; Randy Johnson on Sept. 14, 2003 and May 18, 2004; Ian Kennedy on April 25, 2011.
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES NOTES:
NLDS RECAP: The Phillies defeated the Atlanta Braves, 3-1, in the 2023 National League Division Series … It marked Philadelphia’s second consecutive NLDS win over Atlanta … The Phillies won Games 1, 3 and 4 as they were led offensively by five players who posted OPS’ over 1.200: Nick Castellanos (1.796), Bryce Harper (1.765), Trea Turner (1.441) and Brandon Marsh (1.212) … Phillies’ starters combined to post a 2.18 ERA (5 ER, 20.2 IP) in 4 starts and Philadelphia’s relievers combined for a 1.26 ERA (2 ER, 14.1 IP).
GAME ONE: In Game 1’s, the Phillies are 21-7 all time with a .750 winning percentage that is the best in MLB history (min. 20 G) … The Phillies have won seven straight Game 1’s (since Game 1 of 2011 NLDS) and they have won 14 of their last 15 Game 1’s (since Game 1 of 2008 NLDS) … Philadelphia’s only loss in Game 1 over their last 15 postseason series was Game 1 of the 2010 NLCS vs SF … Last season, the Phillies won the first game of all four postseason series they played as they became the only club in MLB history to win four Game 1’s in a single postseason.
FLAGS FLY FOREVER: The Phillies are back in the National League Championship Series for the second consecutive year after winning their 8th pennant in franchise history last season, a 4-1 series win over the San Diego Padres … This marks the 11th NLCS in franchise history (1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1983, 1993, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2022, 2023) … All time, the Phillies are 26-21 in the NLCS (.553 win %) and 6-4 in series play … Since 1980, the Phillies are 24-12 in the NLCS with a .667 winning percentage that ranks 1st among all 12 MLB clubs who have played at least 30 LCS games … Since 1980 at home in the NLCS, the Phillies are 14-4 (.778 win %) which includes a 9-2 record at Citizens Bank Park (.818 win %).
OCTOBER’S VERY OWN: In his first eight career postseason starts, Zack Wheeler has posted a 2.59 ERA (14 ER, 48.2 IP), a 0.72 WHIP (8 BB, 27 H) and held opponents to a .158/.213/.234 slash line (183 batters faced, .447 OPS) … Wheeler has allowed 3 ER or fewer in seven of eight starts, 2 ER or fewer in six of eight and 1 ER or none in three of eight – he has also allowed 1 walk or none in seven of eight … Wheeler’s 0.72 WHIP ranks 1st among the 225 pitchers in MLB history who have faced 150 batters in the postseason, his .213 opponents OBP ranks 2nd among that same group, behind only Mariano Rivera (.212), his .447 opponents OBP ranks 3rd, behind only Blue Moon Odom (.404 OPS) and Rivera (.440 OPS) and his .234 opponents SLG ranks 5th behind only Odom (.169), Eddie Plank (.215), Rivera (.228) and Jack Billingham (.230) – charts below.
HARPER, RUTH, GEHRIG: In 186 postseason plate appearances in his career, Bryce Harper (turns 31 today), is slashing .285/.384/.633 with a 1.017 OPS … Among all players in MLB postseason history (min. 150 PA), Harper’s .633 SLG ranks 3rd behind only Babe Ruth (.744) and Lou Gehrig (.731) … He is one of only 5 players in MLB history with 150 plate appearances in the postseason and an OPS over 1.000: Ruth (1.211), Gehrig (1.208), George Brett (1.023), Carlos Beltran (1.021) and Harper (1.017).
LEGEND OF THE FALL: Two-time MVP (2015 & 2021) and 2022 NLCS MVP Bryce Harper has played 23 postseason games for the Phillies – in 97 plate appearances, Harper is slashing .354/.448/.768 with a 1.216 OPS, 19 runs, 7 doubles, 9 home runs, 18 RBI and 13 walks … In 65 plate appearances against right-handers, Harper has posted a 1.329 OPS and in 32 plate appearances against left-handers, Harper has a .994 OPS … In 12 postseason games at Citizens Bank Park (50 PA), Harper is slashing .357/.460/.881 with a 1.341 OPS.
ARMS RACE: Through 6 postseason games, Phillies pitching has combined to post a 1.53 ERA (9 ER, 53.0 IP) while holding the 205 batters they have faced to a .500 OPS … The Phillies have allowed 2 runs or fewer in 5 of their 6 games and 1 run or none in 5 of 6 … Philadelphia’s starters have a 1.57 ERA (6 ER, 34.1 IP) that ranks 1st among all 12 postseason teams (next: TEX, 1.82) and the bullpen has a 1.45 ERA (3 ER, 18.2 IP) that ranks 2nd, behind only TOR’s 1.00 ERA (1 ER, 9.0 IP) … Of Philadelphia’s 53.0 combined innings pitched this postseason, 45.0 have been scoreless.
BEDLAM AT THE BANK: The Phillies are 26-11 all time in the postseason at Citizens Bank Park with a .703 winning percentage that is the best in MLB history for any club to play 30+ postseason games at their home venue (Elias) … NYM (.667) at Shea Stadium (1969-2006) ranks 2nd, STL (.660 win %) at Busch Memorial Stadium (1967-2005) ranks 3rd, BAL (.633 win %) at Memorial Stadium (1966-83) ranks 4th and NYY (.627 win %) at Yankee Stadium I (1923-2007) ranks 5th … After losing their first 2 postseason games at CBP, Game 1 & 2 of the 2007 NLDS vs COL, the Phillies are 26-9 in the postseason at CBP since 2008 with a .743 winning percentage that ranks 1st among all MLB teams at home since 2008 (min. 20 G), in front of SF (.643), HOU (.633), LAD (.603) and NYY (.595) … The Phils reached 25 postseason wins at CBP in only 36 games which is tied for the fastest to 25 wins in MLB history at a home venue during the postseason with the Mets at Shea Stadium (also 25-11).
WELCOME TO RED OCTOBER: The Phillies have won 9 straight postseason games against the National League at home which is tied for the longest such streak in MLB history – the only other MLB team to win 9 straight home games in the postseason against its own league was the St. Louis Cardinals, who won 9 straight against the NL at Busch Memorial Stadium from Oct 5. 2004- Oct. 12, 2005.
BALL GO BOOM: In the NLDS against Atlanta, the Phillies, in only 4 games, tied a National League record with 11 home runs in the Division Series – the 2004 Astros, when they were still part of the NL, are the only other NL club to hit 11 homers in the DS, however the Astros did so in 5 games … In Game 3, the Phillies tied a major league postseason record with 6 home runs in a game – they joined the 2015 Chicago Cubs who hit 6 homers in Game 3 of the NLDS on 10/12/15 vs STL (Schwarber, Fowler, Soler, Bryant, Rizzo, Castro) … For the Phils, Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos each had 2 and they were joined by Trea Turner and Brandon Marsh … Harper and Castellanos became the first pair of teammates in Phillies franchise history to each hit two homers in the same postseason game and only the 4th pair of teammates in MLB history to do so: 2021 LAD’s AJ Pollock and Chris Taylor, 2020 SD’s Fernando Tatis Jr. and Will Myers and 1932 NYY’s Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.
SINCE THE OVATION: Since Aug. 5, the day after the ovations, Bryce Harper (1.125 OPS in 235 PA) and Trea Turner (1.112 OPS in 233 PA) rank 1st and 2nd among all MLB players in OPS (regular and postseason combined) – among the 89 players in MLB with 200 regular and postseason plate appearances since Aug. 5, the Phillies have 4 of the top 24 players in OPS in Harper, Turner, Kyle Schwarber (13th at .937) and Nick Castellanos (24th at .892) … The Phillies rank 1st in MLB with an .842 OPS since Aug. 5 (ATL, .835)
CITIZENS BANK SPARK: The Phillies went 49-32 at CBP this season with a +83 run differential (418-335) that was their best mark at home since they were +114 at home in 2011 (367-253) … Of their 26 home series this season, the Phillies won 17 of them … Philadelphia’s 49 wins and .605 winning percentage were both tied for 3rd-best in CBP history (since 2004), behind only the 2010 club (54-30, .643) and the 2011 team (52-39, .642) … The Phillies reached 3,000,000 in attendance for the 9th time in the history of CBP and for the first time since 2013 … Philadelphia saw their attendance increase by over 9,500 per game from a season ago which was the most of any club in MLB.
GET ME TO THE PLATE BOYS: In “Close & Late” situations (7th inning or later with the batting team ahead by one run, tied, or with the tying run on base, at bat or on deck), Bryce Harper had 91 plate appearances this season and slashed .387/.495/.667 with a 1.161 OPS that was the best in MLB – he reached base safely in 45 of those 91 plate appearances … Per FanGraphs, Harper ranked 2nd in MLB this year in Win Probability Added at 5.77 – he trailed only Ronald Acuna Jr. (6.87) – Mookie Betts ranked 3rd behind Harper at 5.21.
LEADING MAN: Leadoff hitter Kyle Schwarber had a career-high 126 walks this season which is T-4th in Phillies franchise history for a single year with HOF Billy Hamilton who had 126 in 1894 … Bobby Abreu ranks 3rd with 127 in 2004 and HOF Mike Schmidt ranks 2nd with 128 in 1983 … The franchise record for walks in a season is 129, set by Lenny Dykstra in 1993 … Schwarber ranked 2nd in MLB this year in both walks and walk rate (17.5%), trailing only Juan Soto in both (132, 18.6%) … After he was moved back to the leadoff spot on 6/2, the Phillies went 65-41 (.613 win %) – In that span, they went 46-16 when Schwarber scored a run (.742) and 24-7 in the 31 games he homered (.774) … Schwarber hit a franchise record 11 leadoff home runs this season which eclipsed Jimmy Rollins’ previous record of 9 in 2007.
120 WALKS, 100 RUNS, 100 RBI, 45 HOMERS: Kyle Schwarber (126 BB, 108 R, 104 RBI, 47 HR) is one of only 13 MLB players since 1920 (when RBI became official) with a 120 walk/100 R/100 RBI/45 HR season … Babe Ruth did so eight times, Barry Bonds four times, Mark McGwire two times, and Lou Gehrig, Chipper Jones, Aaron Judge, Harmon Killebrew, Ralph Kiner, Mickey Mantle, Willie McCovey, Mike Schmidt & Jim Thome all did so once.
SCHWARBER, McGWIRE, RUTH: In his first two seasons in Philadelphia (since 2022), Kyle Schwarber hit 93 home runs which ranks 2nd in MLB behind only Aaron Judge (99 HR) and he walked 212 times which also ranks 2nd in MLB behind only Juan Soto (267 BB) … Schwarber is only the 3rd player in MLB history with 90+ home runs and 200+ walks through any player’s first two seasons with a club: Mark McGwire with St. Louis from 1997-98 (94 HR, 205 BB) and Babe Ruth with the Yankees from 1920-21 (113 HR, 294 BB).
AMONG THE GREATS: Right-hander Craig Kimbrel finished the year with 1,191 career strikeouts which ranks 5th among all relief pitchers since at least 1893 (Elias) … Of the four relief pitchers currently in front of Kimbrel on the strikeout list, three are Hall of Famers (Hoyt Wilhelm – 1,363 SO, Goose Gossage – 1,340 SO, Lee Smith – 1,225 SO) and the other is Billy Wagner (1,196 SO), Kimbrel’s former teammate, who received 51.0% of the vote this past year, his 7th on the ballot … Kimbrel was selected as an All-Star for the 9th time in 2023 and picked up his first career save in an ASG … Kimbrel is only the 13th pitcher in history with 9+ career selections to the ASG – of those 13 players, 9 are in Cooperstown: Warren Spahn (14 ASG), Mariano Rivera (13 ASG), Tom Seaver (12 ASG), Tom Glavine (10 ASG), Randy Johnson (10 ASG), Steve Carlton (10 ASG), Goose Gossage (9 ASG), Juan Marichal (9 ASG) and Carl Hubbell (9 ASG) – the only four pitchers with nine+ ASG selections who are not in the HOF are Roger Clemens (11 ASG), Clayton Kershaw (10 ASG), Justin Verlander (9 ASG) and Kimbrel … He currently ranks 8th in MLB history with 417 saves.
TURNED HIM LOOSE: Shortstop Trea Turner had a career-high 66 extra-base hits in his first season in Philadelphia … He also hit 26 home runs, scored 102 runs and was a perfect 30-for-30 in stolen base attempts … Dating back to last season, Turner is 35-for-35 in stolen base attempts – his 100.0% success rate this season is the highest since 1951 among all MLB players who attempted at least 30 stolen bases in one season (previous: Brady Anderson in 1994 & Carlos Beltran in 2001, both 31-for-32/96.9%) … From Aug. 4 through the end of the season, (48 G), Turner slashed .337/.389/.668 with a 1.057 OPS (211 PA) that ranked 4th out of 143 qualified players in MLB.
ARMS RACE: The Phillies starting rotation led the National League with 899.0 innings pitched this year which ranked 3rd in MLB, behind only SEA (901.1) and HOU (900.0) … Philadelphia’s rotation put up 17.7 fWAR as a staff which ranked 1st among all MLB rotations (next: MIN, 16.5) and was 3.2 wins in front of the next closest NL club (SD, 14.5) … Consequently, Philadelphia’s bullpen threw the fewest innings of any relief corps in MLB this year with 543.1, yet Philadelphia’s relief pitchers combined for 6.7 fWAR which was 3rd in MLB behind LAD (7.6) and BAL (7.5) … Combined (SP & RP), Phillies pitching put up 24.4 fWAR this year which was the best in MLB (next: TB, 20.6) and was 6.3 wins in front of SD who ranked 2nd in the NL with 18.1 fWAR.
YOU’RE SO GOLDEN: Second baseman Bryson Stott ranked T-4th among all players in Major League Baseball with 17 Outs Above Average (with PIT’s Ke’Bryan Hayes) – the only players in MLB with more OAA than Stott were CHI’s SS Dansby Swanson (20 OAA), SF’s INF Thairo Estrada (19 OAA) and CLE’s 2B Andres Gimenez (18 OAA) – CHI 2B Nico Hoerner trailed Stott with 15 OAA and Stott (7 DRS) ranked ahead of Estrada (2 DRS) in Defensive Runs Saved … Stott led all National League second baseman in games played (148) and total chances (602) and he ranked 2nd in innings at the position (1294.1), trailing only ATL’s Ozzie Albies (1314.0) … Stott made only 5 errors and posted a .992 fielding percentage … He set a franchise record earlier this season when he began his career with 84 consecutive games at second base without an error, eclipsing the previous mark held by Tomas Perez (57 G) from 2001-02.
NLCS GAME 1 STARTER – ZACK WHEELER • RHP #45
2023: 13-6, 3.61 ERA Career: 87-63, 3.45 ERA
LAST START: 10/9 at ATL: ND, 6.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 10 SO … Wheeler vs Fried … The Phillies fell to the Atlanta Braves, 5-4, in Game 2 of the NLDS at Truist Park … The Phils jumped in front 4-0 on an Alec Bohm RBI single in the 1st, a J.T. Realmuto 2-run home run in the 3rd and a Bryson Stott sac fly in the 5th … Atlanta would score 5 unanswered runs from the 6th-8th with home runs from Travis d’Arnaud and Austin Riley … In the 9th, Bryce Harper led off the inning with a walk against A.J. Minter … The game would end on a double play as Nick Castellanos hit a 100.8 MPH line drive to center (.610 xBA per Statcast) but it was caught by Michael Harris who then doubled up Harper at 1st
TONIGHT’S START:
- Postseason Hero: Wheeler has made the 3rd most postseason starts in Phillies history (8) … 6 of his 8 postseason starts have been quality and in 7 of his 8 starts he has walked 1 or no batters … Wheeler’s 2.59 ERA (14 ER, 48.2 IP) in the postseason is the 2nd best in franchise history (min. 40.0 IP), trailing only Cliff Lee (2.33) … In his first 8 career postseason starts, Wheeler has limited the 183 batters he has faced to a .158/.213/.234 slash line (.447 OPS) and has posted a 0.72 WHIP (8 BB, 27 H) … Wheeler’s 0.72 WHIP is the best in MLB postseason history among pitchers who have faced at least 150 batters … In that group, his .213 OPP OBP ranks 2nd, his .447 OPP OBP ranks 3rd and his .234 OPP SLG ranks 5th
- Last Time Out: Wheeler struck out 10 batters, which set a new postseason career-high and is tied for the most in a postseason game by a Phillies pitcher … He is 3rd in franchise history for postseason strikeouts with 51 … Wheeler also carried a no-hitter for 5.2 IP before it was broken up by a single … It was his second time carrying a no-hitter through at least 4 innings of a postseason game (other: NLCS G1, 10/18/22) and he is the only pitcher in Phillies history to have multiple no-hit bids of at least 4 innings in the postseason … Wheeler also became the first pitcher in major league history to have 6 strikeouts and now hits allowed in the first 2 innings of a postseason game … Wheeler also reached 48.2 IP in his Phillies postseason career, surpassing Cliff Lee (46.1) for the 3rd most in franchise history
- Pitch Usage: 4-seam fastball (43.3%), Sinker (18.2%), Slider (14.4%), Sweeper (12.2%), Curveball (11.4%), Changeup (0.4%)
- vs NL West: 17-11, 3.43 ERA (93 ER, 244.0 IP) in 40 starts
HOME:
- 2023: 5-2, 4.13 ERA (41 ER, 89.1 IP) in 15 starts
- Career: 41-33, 3.46 ERA (268 ER, 697.0 IP) in 113 starts
- CBP: 22-10, 2.72 ERA (102 ER, 337.1 IP) in 53 starts
- Postseason: 1-0, 2.13 ERA (3 ER, 12.2 IP) in 2 starts
WHEELER – POSTSEASON
W-L ERA G GS IP H R ER BB SO
2023: 1-0 2.08 2 2 13.0 8 4 3 1 18
Career: 2-3 2.59 8 8 48.2 27 16 14 8 51
2023 SEASON:
- 100 With the Phils: Made his 100th start for the Phillies on Sept. 23 vs NYM … In his first 100 starts with the club, he was 43-25 with a 3.07 ERA (213 ER, 625.1 IP) with 670 strikeouts to 134 walks and a 1.05 WHIP … Since earned runs have been an official stat (1912), Wheeler has the 5th-best ERA among any Phillies pitcher in their first 100 starts with the club … He trails only Jim Bunning (2.62), Cliff Lee (2.81), Steve Carlton (2.91) and Larry Jackson (3.02) … His 670 strikeouts are also the 2nd most by a Phillies pitcher in their first 100 starts, trailing only Cliff Lee (712) and his 43 wins are tied with Aaron Nola, Cole Hamels and Robin Roberts for the 12th most
- 200: Wheeler had 212 strikeouts on the season … It is the 2nd season of his career with 200 strikeouts (other: 2021) … Aaron Nola reached 200 strikeouts on 9/26 and it is the 2nd season in which they’ve both had 200 strikeouts … They join Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee, who both did so in 2012 and 2013, as the only Phillies pitching tandem to have two seasons in which they each struck out 200 or more batters … They were one of 3 pitching duos in baseball this year to each have 200 or more strikeouts
- Stop the WAR: Wheeler led all NL pitchers in fWAR with 5.9 and was T-10th among all major leaguers … Since he signed with the Phillies as a free agent (since 2020), Wheeler ranks 1st among all pitchers in MLB in fWAR at 19.3
- His 5.0% walk rate ranked T-5th among NL pitchers with at least 100.0 IP … It was the lowest walk rate of his career (previous best: 5.4%, 2021)
- Finished with the 4th most strikeouts in the NL (212)
- On 8/26, Wheeler earned his 10th win of the season … He has earned 10+ wins in 6 seasons and has done so in every season with at least 20 starts … Wheeler has earned double-digit wins in 3 straight seasons for the first time in his career
- Took a no-hitter into the 8th inning on 6/8 vs DET which was the longest no-hit bid of his career (previous: 6.1 innings on 7/30/13 vs MIA)
- Reached 10 years of ML service on Sunday (6/11) vs LAD
- Recorded his 18th career double-digit strikeout game and 10th as a Phillie on 5/27 at ATL
- Made his 200th career start on 4/23 vs COL
