Are you really surprised this happened?
Seriously. As feebly as the Phillies have swung the bats lately, particularly in their once friendly home ballpark, they were ripe to be no-hit.
On Sunday afternoon it happened.
Josh Beckett, who already has a World Series MVP, a 20-win season and three All-Star Games on the back of his bubble-gum card, added a no-hitter to his impressive resume in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 6-0 demolition of the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday afternoon (see Instant Replay).
Much of the crowd of 36,141 -- not everyone left after a hideous display of Phillies defense in the seventh inning -- stayed and stood throughout the ninth inning as Beckett survived a two-out walk to Jimmy Rollins then worked back from a 3-1 count to strike out Chase Utley on a 94-mph dart at the knees to end the masterpiece. So what that home plate umpire Brian Knight might have given Beckett the previous pitch, a backdoor breaking ball that Utley thought was wide of the strike zone. This was Beckett’s day (he talked about throwing a no-hitter all game), and he received a classy ovation from the fans as he left the field.
“It’s special,” said the 34-year-old pitcher, who spent much of last season on the disabled list and had a rib surgically removed to alleviate thoracic outlet syndrome. “You don’t think at this point in your career you’re going to do something like this.”
The Phils had not been no-hit since April 16, 1978 when Bob Forsch of the Cardinals got them (see more facts and figures). Current bench coach Larry Bowa made the last out in that game.
Beckett had two things working in his favor Sunday:
First was his stuff.
“Amazing,” Marlon Byrd, the Phillies’ No. 5 hitter, said.
Second was the Phillies’ offense. The Phils entered the day hitting a paltry .235 with a .307 on-base percentage in 22 home games. They were averaging just 3.5 runs in home games. They had been shut out five times in their previous 17 games and four times in their previous nine home games.
In all, the Phillies have been shut out seven times this season. Only San Diego (eight) has more. The Phils were also shut out Friday night by Dodgers’ lefty Clayton Kershaw and four relievers as they lost two of three in the series.
For obvious reasons, this latest shutout represented the low point of the season for the Phillies, who are 21-26 on the eve of Memorial Day. They hit just one ball hard all day against Beckett -- a line drive out to left-center by Domonic Brown in the fifth inning. The inept offensive performance came on the day the team gave away plastic Ryne Sandberg bats. There was something fittingly comedic about all that.
Not that Sandberg was smiling after the game.
“I just thought [Beckett] had real good stuff down to the last hitter,” Sandberg said. “We had our best hitter up there and he threw a back-door breaking pitch and a fastball at the knees. That’s an indication right there. He really kept the ball down.”
Beckett used his curveball and changeup effectively, particularly late in the game. He walked three and struck out six.
“It’s frustrating, but you have to tip your hat to him,” Ben Revere said. “He pitched a heck of a game. He was hitting his spots, paint on the corners. He mixed in his curveball and changeup well. It was one of those days. You tip your hat to him.
“First time I’ve ever been part of a no-hitter. It sucks. Definitely not a good feeling.”
Byrd and Revere were two of only a few regulars who spoke to reporters after the game. Jimmy Rollins said, “[Beckett] was good. There’s no more to be said,” on his way out the door and Utley and Ryan Howard left the clubhouse quickly.
“You don’t want to get no-hit, especially when you are a good hitting team,” Byrd said. “But when a guy throws like that, you tip your cap. It’s hard to do when you’re on the losing end, but you try to appreciate the game because those are rare. He’s been around for a long time and throws his first one -- you have to appreciate that even though he’s on the other team.
“He got stronger and found his groove as the game went on. That’s what good pitchers do. You have to get good pitchers early.”
Early, middle or late, the Phils did not do that.
And on top of it all, they played shoddy defense in the seventh inning. Howard failed to make a play on a ground ball to first and Brown’s slow play in left field allowed Yasiel Puig to turn a would-be single into a double as the Dodgers scored three times against A.J. Burnett in the inning. Two of the runs were unearned. Fans booed the Phillies during and after that inning. Truth be told, the Phils in that inning looked like a team that deserved the ignominy of a no-hitter.
The Phils have to bounce back quickly as Colorado comes in for three games beginning Monday night. There are still eight games left on this homestand, hardly a comforting thought given the Phillies’ struggles at home.
“We've had our ups and downs at home with scoring runs,” Sandberg said. “We've scored in bunches and we've had some cold spots. That's something we need to improve on.”
The improvement can start Monday night -- with getting a hit.