Pitcher erases run -- from the outfield!
Velasquez's athleticism also on display with diving catch next inning
Todd Zolecki
@ToddZoleckiPHILADELPHIA -- Don¡¯t run on Vince Velasquez.
Working with a shorthanded bullpen due to closer Hector Neris' suspension and soreness in Zach Eflin's right triceps,?the Phillies found themselves pitching outfielder Roman Quinn and playing Velasquez, a right-handed pitcher, in left field in the 14th inning of a tied game on Friday night against the White Sox at Citizens Bank Park.
Velasquez kept the game -- won by Chicago, 4-3, in 15 innings -- temporarily tied when he threw out Jose Abreu at home plate after Abreu tried to score on a single from James McCann. Statcast clocked Velasquez¡¯s throw at 94.7 mph. It was the ninth-fastest throw by a Phillies outfielder this season.
The fastest? The man on the mound. Quinn threw out a runner with a 98.2-mph throw this season.
Velasquez wasn't done, though. In the 15th, he nearly repeated his feat on a sharp single to left by Abreu with two outs and runners on first and second. Leury Garcia broke for home, and Velasquez's throw reached catcher J.T. Realmuto just a moment late -- confirmed by an umpire review -- allowing Chicago to take a lead it would keep. This throw, according to Statcast, was even harder at 95.0 mph.
"I saw the throw before -- that first throw that he made," Garcia said. "So I was like, ¡®Oh my God, I¡¯ve got to go.¡¯ He almost got me. But I got him."
Remarkably, one batter after Abreu's single, Eloy Jimenez hit another laser to Velasquez, who laid out for an inning-ending diving grab that had a catch probability of just 15 percent and may have saved yet another run.
¡°A pretty crazy first day,¡± said starter Jason Vargas, who allowed two runs over 6 1/3 innings in his debut with the Phillies, who fell into third place in the National League East, seven games behind the first-place Braves, and a game behind the Cubs and Nationals for the two NL Wild Card spots.
¡°It was frustrating, certainly,¡± Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said. ¡°I really thought the team stepped up in a major way, with everything on the line. They fought and clawed for every last inch. They never quit, even under the circumstances. Look, I'm most proud of that. ¡ I was proud of the Vince Velasquez plays in the outfield. I was proud of Roman Quinn."
¡°I¡¯m one of those kinds of guys that can be counted on to play anywhere,¡± said Velasquez, who hadn't played in the outfield since high school. ¡°And you¡¯ve seen me throw left-handed.¡±