Tonight was a straight-up pitcher’s duel, but man, it did not go the Phillies’ way. New York Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler carved up the Philadelphia lineup, making a fantastic outing by Jesus Luzardo ultimately meaningless in a grinding 1-0 Yankees win at Citizens Bank Park.
Schlittler Was On Another Planet
Jesus Luzardo did everything he could for the Phillies. The lefty went seven solid innings, giving up just a single run. That lone score came courtesy of Paul Goldschmidt, who absolutely crushed a solo home run to put the Yankees on the board first. Honestly, it was a great piece of hitting, sometimes you just tip your cap. But then Cam Schlittler showed up, and he was a buzzsaw. He completely handcuffed the Phillies lineup all night long, making them look like they were swinging at pitches like they were being chased by bees. That’s the mark of a great pitcher, right? He sees hitters chasing, and he just keeps going back to that well, over and over again, until they prove they can lay off. And for most of the game, the Phillies just couldn’t.
The Eighth Inning Heartbreak
As the game wore on and the Phillies lineup saw Schlittler more, they *did* start hitting him a little harder. They couldn’t convert it into anything real, though, until the eighth. That’s when they finally had their big threat to score. With one out, J.T. Realmuto got his second hit of the night. Then things got interesting when Gabriel Rincones got hit by a pitch, sending Realmuto to second. That was it for Schlittler, as Brent Headrick came in to relieve him, a move countered by Edmundo Sosa entering the game for Philadelphia. Sosa then singled to right, and that’s where the biggest “What if?” moment of the night comes into play. Third base coach Anthony Morales opted to hold Realmuto at third, loading the bases instead of sending him home. If he’d been thrown out, at least a fast runner like Derek Hill would have been in scoring position with Trea Turner up and two outs. But no, bases loaded, Turner at the plate. And what happened? A soft fly ball, not deep enough to score Realmuto. Then Kyle Schwarber grounded out to second, ending the entire threat. Just brutal.
You gotta hate it when a pitcher’s duel doesn’t go your way, especially after you get a real chance to turn the tide. The Phillies will have to try and shake this one off fast, because they get to do it all again tomorrow night. They’ve got to find a way to get those bats going against New York.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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