Phillies News: Ranger Suarez breaks century-old record with phenomenal start to the season after Marlins rout
Ranger Suarez has made a perfect start to the season and his dominance on the mound continues after the Philadelphia Phillies' win on Friday. Suarez's excellent pitching skills have helped the Philadelphia Phillies win several games including a lop-sided victory over the Miami Marlins in his most recent outing.
Suarez restricted the Marlins from reaching home plate as he pitched seven scoreless innings. What's more special is that he broke a century-old record in the process. After eight starts with his team, Suarez holds a 1.50 ERA, which is the lowest by a Phillies starter to begin a season.
The last time a pitcher held this record was back in 1916 when Grover Cleveland Alexander recorded the same. It's a milestone for Ranger Suarez and the Phillies organization.
Suarez walked two and gave up only three hits in his dominant performance, reducing his ERA of 1.50. The talented pitcher recorded nine strikeouts, increasing his count to 55 strikeouts this season.
Ranger Suarez receives support from the Phillies' powerful offense
The Phillies' offense opened up as they provided enough support for Suarez. Nick Castellanos put the Phillies on the board with his solo home run in the second inning. Johan Rojas contributed an RBI single and Suarez received support with back-to-back RBIs from Cristian Pache, and Kyle Schwarber in the fifth.
Rojas went deep with a solo home run to extend the lead to 7-0 in the seventh. An error from the Marlins worked in favor of Suarez. Castellanos made an excellent defensive play to keep the Phillies star on track for a historic performance. The Phillies scored eight runs, while the Marlins scored two after Suarez left the mound.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson praised Suarez for his outstanding performance and dominance against right-handed hitters.
"It keeps those right-handers off of him. If they want to go swing at it, it’s gonna be a foul ball and it might go off their front foot. He’s really phenomenal right now. I think this is the best run he’s been on, no doubt about it. He’s really been focused and locked in, very consistent." Thomson said.
Suarez holds a 7-0 record with a spectacular WHIP of 0.72 in 55 innings pitched. The Phillies are now 27-12 on the season and have the best record in the league with Suarez holding the second-best ERA this season behind Shota Imanaga.