Fastball

Philadelphia Phillies Lefty Walks Tightrope in Historically Weird Playoff Start

Ranger Suarez joined some rare history as the Phillies were eliminated on Wednesday.

Brady Farkas

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Ranger Suarez (55) throws a pitch against the New York Mets in the first inning in game four of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Citi Field on Oct 9.
Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Ranger Suarez (55) throws a pitch against the New York Mets in the first inning in game four of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Citi Field on Oct 9. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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The Philadelphia Phillies were eliminated on Wednesday by the New York Mets in Game 4 of the National League Division Series at Citi Field.

With the win, the Mets are headed to the NLCS, where they will meet the San Diego Padres or the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Phillies season is over despite winning the National League East and earning the No. 2 seed in the playoffs.

Phillies starter Ranger Suarez didn't factor into the decision on Wednesday after putting together a weird start. The lefty went 4.1 innings, giving up no runs on five hits. He walked four and struck out eight en route to an inefficient 97-pitch outing.

With the performance, he actually joined some rare playoff history. Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com:

Ranger Suárez’s 21 batters faced are tied for the most in a scoreless postseason outing of fewer than 5 IP, with:

1995 WS G6 Dennis Martínez (4 2/3 IP, start)
1973 NLCS G4 Tug McGraw (4 1/3 IP, relief)

Though is final outing of the year wasn't enough to keep the season going, Suarez did have an incredible year overall. Once thought to be the Cy Young favorite, he finished 12-8 with a 3.46 ERA. He struck out 145 batters in 150.2 innings. He paired with Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola and Cristopher Sanchez to make up one of the best rotations in the National League.

Now 29 years old, Suarez is 41-29 lifetime with a 3.42 ERA. He is 3-1 in the playoffs.

The Phillies will be able to start the offseason right after the World Series ends.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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