Philadelphia Phillies' David Dahl Shows No Mercy, Blasts Home Run Off Position Player

Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Tucker Barnhart couldn't help but laugh when he gave up a home run to Philadelphia Phillies right fielder David Dahl on Saturday.

Jun 3, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder David Dahl (35) celebrates his home run against the Milwaukee Brewers during the fourth inning at Citizens Bank Park. / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Phillies were already well on their way to a win, but outfielder David Dahl didn't let that stop him from padding his stats.

Dahl was not in the starting lineup against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday. Instead, he rode the bench as the Phillies built up a 10-1 lead after six innings.

The 30-year-old slugger finally came in for right fielder Nick Castellanos of the eighth, at which point Arizona had already waved the white flag. Catcher Tucker Barnhart was on the mound, after all.

Dahl didn't care that a position player was pitching – he wanted to get in on the fun.

Barnhart delivered a 40.7 mile-per-hour meatball high and inside, and Dahl took it yard. The ball stayed just inside of the right field foul pole, traveling 369 feet before it reached the bleachers.

Dahl chuckled as he rounded the bases, and even Barnhart let his guard down and laughed off the two-run home run.

We're all just having fun now 😅#RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/45K1NYqacE

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) June 22, 2024

It marked Dahl's third home run of the season. He is now batting .200 with a .757 OPS since getting called up on June 3.

Dahl was once a promising young piece for the Colorado Rockies, making his MLB debut in 2016 and making the All-Star Game in 2019. He hit .297 with an .867 OPS in that span, averaging 26 home runs, 90 RBI and a 1.7 WAR per 162 games, although he missed significant time with various rib, back and foot injuries.

From there, Dahl's production fell off, and the Rockies let him walk to the Texas Rangers as a free agent in 2021. Dahl then bounced around between the Milwaukee Brewers, Washington Nationals, San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers, only appearing in four total MLB games in 2022 and 2023.

Dahl's reemergence with the Phillies has therefore been an interesting storyline to keep an eye on, and his moonshot homer on Saturday was only his latest highlight.

As for Barnhart, he had not made an appearance as a pitcher this season prior to Saturday. He did own a 3.60 ERA and 2.000 WHIP for his career, though, taking the mound once for the Detroit Tigers in 2022 and four times for the Chicago Cubs in 2023.

Barnhart may have won two Gold Gloves in his eight seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, but he was never any Cy Young, and Saturday showed why.

The Phillies won 12-1, evening up the series ahead of Sunday's finale.

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