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The Phillies beat the Giants on Monday night, and it was glorious. Not just because they won, but because they won 11-0. The Phillies scored 11 runs, and the Giants scored zero.
Lopsided games tend to be eventful, and this one was no exception. Let’s do a rundown.
Odubel Herrera is a god among men
This man. THIS MAN. THIS MAN IS ODUBEL HERRERA, AND HE WILL NOT BE DENIED. In a game full of hits and runs, Herrera was responsible for more than any other hitter. He went 2-for-3 with a walk, and those two hits were both home runs. It’s Odubel’s second two-homer game of the year, and as usual, Jayson Stark dug up this great factoid.
It's the most Odubel Herrera thing ever that he has two 2-HR games this year but only one 1-HR game. Because of course he'd never had any 2-HR games before last month.
— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) May 8, 2018
Herrera is now hitting .341 on the year, with a .938 OPS. And wrapped up in that is his on-base streak, which continues still.
Odubel Herrera has reached base safely in 36 consecutive games, Phillies' longest streak since Jimmy Rollins had a 38-game streak from 2005-06.
— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) May 7, 2018
I love him. He’s amazing. He’s a star, and he’s the best player on the Phillies. (Offense division, of course.)
The offense shone brightly
The Phillies spent the entire game slapping Giants starter Jeff Samardzija around, along with a litany of Giants relievers. Every non-pitcher starter had a hit, and that includes Pedro Florimon, who replaced Herrera near the end of the game. Carlos Santana hit a magical home run that jumped in and out of the the glove of Gorkys Hernandez.
Home Run: Carlos Santana (4)
— Today in MLB (@TodayintheMLB) May 8, 2018
Assist: Gorkys Hernandez (1)#Phillies
pic.twitter.com/Q233KoRdBS
And Cesar Hernandez hit a MASSIVE, ENORMOUS, PLANET-SIZED BOMB.
Another homer??? We'll take it.
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) May 8, 2018
Cesar Hernandez puts the Phillies up 5-0 after this dinger! pic.twitter.com/kCzTvKHG6b
A HOME RUN OF GLORY, A NO-DOUBT SECOND DECKER. God that’s fun to watch.
The 2016 version of Zach Eflin showed up
Remember Zach Eflin in 2016, and how good he was, and how fun it was to watch him pitch? Well that guy is back. He pitched a masterful outing on Monday night, lasting 6.2 innings and allowing no runs, not a one. He struck out a career-high nine batters. I don’t even remember who Ben Lively is anymore.
Seranthony Dominguez debuted
...and it was great. He came in to pitch the eighth inning, and it was electric.
A 1-2-3 inning for Seranthony Dominguez, with a strikeout looking of Evan Longoria, and a hug from Jorge Alfaro. His fastball averaged 97.7.
— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) May 8, 2018
If you think angels are singing now, get a load of this.
oh sweet Seranthony, you are beautiful. pic.twitter.com/iS6Lsw7eu1
— chris jones¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (@LONG_DRIVE) May 8, 2018
Three batters, three outs, and one strikeout. Welcome to the majors, Seranthony. Also Jesmuel Valentín got his first major league hit, and that is also awesome.
For a longtime grudge-holder such as myself, there are fewer things more fun and more satisfying than watching the Phillies beat the Giants. This was a fun game.