Philadelphia Phillies: Forget the stats, Nick Nelson earned respect

Nick Nelson saved the Philadelphia Phillies in their 5-4 win over the New York Mets.

Now granted, Nelson didn’t actually get the save, or the win for that matter either, as he actually left the game with the same score he came into it with, but after starting pitcher Ranger Suarez got the team in hot water early on, the fourth-round pick out of Gulf Coast State entered the game in the third inning and held it down for three more in the lead-up to an eventual win.

It all started in the third inning, with the Phillies down three and without a single hit on the board. Thanks to a throwing error by Alec Bohm and a single to right field, the Mets had runners on first and second. Suarez, after getting to a full count, managed to keep his composure enough to strike out Mark Canha swinging, but the writing was already on the wall for a pitching change.

Though that first inning was rough – with the game immediately starting off with three runs due to a combination of small ball nickel-and-diming and another unfortunate Bohm error – and the bad taste it left in everyone’s mouths became more and more bitter with every hitless inning, the decision to bench Suarez was actually preplanned. Suarez was meant to get to a pitch count of around 60, according to Joe Girardi, and due largely to that first inning, he was already at 63.

And so, Nick Nelson was called in with a specific purpose: Get through as many innings as possible while minimizing any further damage on the scoreboard.

Nick Nelson scored a W in the hearts of Philadelphia Phillies fans.

Nick Nelson is a very green player, both as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies and as an MLB pitcher. Acquired from the New York Yankees last November for the explicit purpose of freeing up roster space, Nelson joined the Phillies with only 35 innings and a 1-2 record on his major league resume.

While not extremely promising, Nelson had a chance to make a great first impression with his new team against the New York Mets, and deliver he did. After striking out his first batter to end the third inning with two runners left on base, Nelson managed to keep the Mets silent, giving up only one hit and one walk while getting a second strikeout.

Unfortunately, the rest of Nelson’s team didn’t respond to this solid outing with some fire on offense, as the only thing the team could say at the end of his time on the mound was that Jean Segura prevented a no-hitter with a shallow right-center field single. But hey, at least there weren’t any more defensive errors, so it wasn’t all bad.

Fast forward to the top of the seventh: The Mets once again had a runner in scoring position at second base thanks to a walk and stolen base, and after two line outs, another pitching change was made. Nelson left the mound with appreciative applause from the fans, and his teammates and Seranthony Dominguez took his place. Nelson did exactly what he was sent out to do, and he did it better than anyone expected.

At the bottom of the next inning, the Phillies’ offense finally woke up, scoring five runs to take the lead and eventually securing the win in an exhilarating turnaround that probably disappointed any fans that decided to leave early to avoid postgame traffic. It also, unfortunately, meant that the pitcher that held things down for four innings to enable the eventual win didn’t get a W on his stats sheet.

Sidebar: Due to his replacement, Dominguez, giving up a run that was on base when he left, Nelson even has a run on his stat sheet, with an ERA of 2.25, showing that raw stats don’t always tell the full story. Granted, the rest of Dominguez’s time on the mound was solid, leading to Brad Hand coming on in the ninth for the save, but I digress.

But hey, matter what the stat sheet says, Nick Nelson absolutely earned the respect of his new team. Holding it down for four innings kept Ranger Suarez within his desired pitch count and ultimately saved more of the bullpen from having to be used in the game before Zack Wheeler’s 2022 debut. The Philadelphia Phillies’ win over the New York Mets just goes to show that sometimes in baseball, the real heroes are the ones on the mound sent in to keep bad situations from becoming worse, as the game is never truly over until the losing side gets three outs in the ninth, especially when they have as much offense as Joe Girardi’s club.