PHILADELPHIA — Getting booed during the Phillies’ home opener could have derailed Taijuan Walker‘s season before it even began.
After struggling through the worst year of his professional career, Walker knew heading into 2025 that he would have to fight. Entering the third year of his contract with the team, there was no guarantee that Walker would be on the club, much less the starting rotation.
An off-season of hard work and an encouraging spring gave Rob Thomson the confidence to turn to Walker when Ranger Suarez went on the Injured List. With another opportunity to thank his manager for his confidence, Walker delivered.
Taijuan Walker
Walker would settle in early against the Marlins on Saturday afternoon.
In the first inning, he would work a couple of fly balls and a strikeout to end the inning. In the second, a 1-2-3 inning would move the game along into the third.
A leadoff single by Graham Pauley would be the first hit of the day for Miami. An error by Alec Bohm would suddenly put 2 runners on with nobody out in the third. However, strong defense at first base by Bryce Harper would help his pitcher out of the jam.
Miami would take advantage of 2 early walks in the fourth inning of Walker. Trading a run for an out, a ground ball to Bryson Stott off the bat of Griffin Conine (the son of former Marlin Jeff Conine) would get the Marlins on the board. That was all they would get, as Walker would end the 4th with the next batter.
That would be all for the Phillies starter on Saturday afternoon. He would be relieved by Matt Strahm to start the fifth inning. His final line was 4 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, and 2 K.
After the game, Thomson commented on Walker leaving early. “Because of the long innings (because our offense was clicking) … his shoulder got a little stiff in between innings. He grinded through 4, didn’t really fight me [Thomson] but he was disappointed he couldn’t finish….”
Commenting on his performance, Thomson said, “I thought he was good; the velocity was down a little bit. That was an indication, and then just talking to him, he was just trying to get everything loose and just because of the long innings it was a precaution…”
Smart Baseball
The old baseball adage of “Get them on, get them over, get them in” is a simplistic viewpoint on a complex game.
In the bottom of the third inning, the Phillies did exactly that. Johan Rojas led off the frame with a double off the base of the left field wall. Bryson Stott‘s ground ball allowed Rojas to move over to third base. Then Trea Turner singled home the Phillies’ centerfielder with a base hit to right. This chain of events led to the first run of the ballgame and gave the Phillies a 1-0 lead.
The club was not done there. After Turner reached, both Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber would work a walk. With one out, that loaded the bases for Nick Castellanos. A sacrifice fly to right field would drive in Turner, adding another run to the scoreboard.
With runners at the corners, Schwarber would get aggressive. He would catch Marlins’ catcher Liam Hicks napping, swiping second base without a throw. With two runners in scoring position, a Max Kepler double would tack on 2 more runs. A 4-run third inning was just what the club needed.
After a strong third inning, the Fightin Phils went after Cal Quantrill again in the fourth.
4 straight hits (Bohm single, Rojas single, Stott 2-run double, and a Turner RBI double) would quickly run the score to 7-1. Matching their total from the night before, the Phillies’ offense was in a groove against the Marlins’ pitching staff.
Phillies Earn Series Win
The rest of the ballgame felt like a Saturday afternoon breeze.
The Phillies would continue to add to their lead, punching in 2 more runs in the fifth. The duo of Alec Bohm and Johan Rojas in the 8-9 spot combined for 5 hits, 1 RBI, and 5 runs scored.
The bullpen would take the final 5 innings of the afternoon for the Phillies. Matt Strahm would allow 2 hits in his scoreless fifth inning.
Carlos Hernandez would dance with danger in the sixth. A single and a hit by pitch to the first two batters would put the pressure on Hernandez. An RBI double by Griffin Conine would add the second run of the game for Miami. Conine had the first 2 runs batted in of the game. A couple batters later, catcher Liam Hicks would drive a ball into left field, scoring two more for Miami. This made it a 9-4 ballgame.
Joe Ross would take the 7th, charged with protecting the club’s 9-4 lead. Ross would allow a double to Eric Wagaman but otherwise pitched a clean inning. Ross remained in the game for the 8th inning as well. Thanks to Bryce Harper’s RBI double and a Kyle Schwarber single, the lead was extended to 11-4 in the bottom of the 7th.
Ross quickly retired the first two hitters for the Marlins in the 8th inning. Back-to-back singles put runners at the corners, but Ross was able to work out of the jam. He ended his day with 2 scoreless innings, allowing 3 hits.
Trouble in Paradise
Jordan Romano would take the 9th for the Phillies. A lead-off double to Jesus Sanchez would give the Marlins another chance with a runner in scoring position. It would almost mean Romano would have to work his way out of trouble.
The following batter, Eric Wagaman, would single up the middle. This put runners at the corners with nobody out. Dane Myers, who entered the game in the 6th, would take Romano deep, putting 3 runs on the board. The Marlins did not stop there. With 2 outs, Graham Pauley would rip a double down the right line. This would bring home the 4th run of the inning for Miami.
The next batter was catcher Liam Hicks. Hicks would deposit a ball into the seats, making it a 6-run inning for Miami in the 9th. It was the first career home run for Hicks, and Jordan Romano’s day was over.
Rob Thomson would have to bring Jose Alvarado out to try and get 1 out. A fly out to right field got the job done, but after leading by a wide margin all game, the 1-run victory was not something that the Phillies could feel good about.
Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
