The Philadelphia Phillies entered the season with two elite starters in Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler, and a bunch of question marks after that.
Noah Syndergaard wasn’t with the team in spring training, Bailey Falter was on the minors, and Kyle Gibson was more “ok” than “great”.
Their hopes of someone grabbing that third starter position were fulfilled thanks to Ranger Suarez.
He wasn’t as spectacular as the two aces, but with a 3.65 ERA in 155.1 innings, Suarez proved he could be a mid-rotation stalwart.
Philadelphia didn’t quite imagine he would become such a postseason legend in a short period of time.
That’s exactly what happened, however.
“Ranger Suarez is #post-season: 2-0, 14.2 Innings, 1.23 ERA, 9 Hits, 13 Strikeouts,” MLB Network tweeted.
Ranger Suarez this #postseason
2-0
14.2 Innings
1.23 ERA
9 Hits
13 Strikeouts#RingTheBell | @Phillies pic.twitter.com/WNPLYYuaiS— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) November 2, 2022
Talk about a star-level playoff performance!
Just when the Phillies needed him the most, Suarez came through again on Tuesday night, with five shutout innings against the Houston Astros in Game 3 of the Fall Classic.
Suarez Shut Down An Elite Offense
The Astros offense has Jose Altuve, ALCS MVP Jeremy Pena, Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman, and the great Yordan Alvarez, among many others.
Suarez shut them all down, and then some.
The talented southpaw also has a save in postseason play this year.
He has been everything the organization hoped he would be.
He may not have Nola or Wheeler’s strikeout upside, but his 62.5 postseason groundball percentage puts him in a great position to succeed.
The best part of all is that he may be available to pitch in a hypothetical Game 7 on Sunday, should the series make it that far.
He has been a true revelation and a big reason why the Phillies are two wins away from winning it all.
