Jayson Stark Discusses Phillies vs Padres After Game 1
The Phillies are up 1-0 on the Padres in the NLCS. They have a chance to make it 2-0 with Aaron Nola on the mound today. And to get the scoop on this series, and what is to come, “The Best Show Ever?” talked to Hall of Fame Baseball writer Jayson Stark. He discussed the Phillies’ pitching, Kyle Schwarber’s monster HR, the great play of Bryce Harper, and more. Here is some of what Jayson Stark had to say.
On the Phillies’ Pitching Staff
“This feels like it has a 2008 vibe to it… This is like having Cole Hamels times 2 with Wheeler and Nola. In 7 starts by this pitching staff, they have allowed a total of 5 runs. Of course, Wheeler and Nola have made 5 of the 7 starts, and after today it will be 6 of 8. By the end of this day, those two guys will have pitched 2/3rds of the innings in this postseason. This is exactly how the Phillies would have drawn it up.”
On Kyle Schwarber’s Homerun
“I have seen a lot of home runs. The cool thing about watching an HR like this at this time of year is that one is going to be stamped in my brain… You just don’t see baseballs hit like that, in that spot. There has never been a baseball hit there in the history of Petco Park. 119.7 miles per hour off the bat. It was the hardest ball ever hit in the postseason. And the only players who have hit an HR that hard overall are Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, and now Kyle Schwarber. That is the whole list…
His swing is back, his health is back, and he is back. In his first 19 trips to the plate in this postseason, he reached base on none of them. Now in the last 12 trips, he has reached base in 9 of them. That is what being a leadoff hitter is all about. If you can hit the ball to the 2nd deck, that is good too.”
On Bryce Harper’s Great Postseason So Far
“This is turning into one of those Octobers by a star player where if he keeps this up, we will talk about it for a long long time. He was a 1.411 OPS. If he keeps that up, it would be the 5th best of anyone in history in any postseason… He has put 21 balls in play. 11 of them at 100 mph off the bat. He is incredible… This is a whole different level of locked-in.”
Listen to the full interview with Jayson Stark below…
