PHILADELPHIA – Nobody said anything to Zach Eflin as he reached the Phillies’ dugout in the middle of the eighth inning Sunday at Citizens Bank Park.
Good, he thought to himself.
He had planned to make his case, if Phillies manager Gabe Kapler suggested that somebody else pitch the ninth in Philadelphia's 5-1 win over the Marlins. But Kapler felt the same as Eflin. He believed that the right-hander deserved his shot to pitch the Phillies’ first nine-inning complete game since Sept. 17, 2016, and his own first complete game since July 22, 2016. Ben Lively threw an eight-inning complete game in a loss at Washington on Sept. 10, 2017.
“We didn’t have any doubt about sending Zach back out there for the ninth,” Kapler said. “I think the entire dugout was like, 'Let’s not make a phone call to the bullpen.'”
Eflin rewarded the Phillies for their faith. He needed just eight pitches to finish the ninth and earn his third career complete game. He allowed seven hits and just one run. He struck out three. He pitched efficiently throughout the afternoon, throwing only 107 pitches. He pounded the strike zone as well, throwing 77 strikes.
He also generated consistently weak contact with the Marlins' registering an average exit velocity of just 84.2 mph.
“I felt good from pitch one,” Eflin said. “So it was exciting to get back out for the ninth.”
Eflin allowed six runs and three homers in four innings against the Marlins in Miami on April 13. He wasn’t that same guy on Sunday.
“Obviously, he made the adjustments from the last time he pitched against us,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “It looked like he threw the ball in a little bit more on a couple of guys -- tried to get them off that outer-half. He doesn't really throw that many strikes there. Today, he came in enough to get us looking.”
Marlins first baseman Martín Prado would have to agree with Mattingly’s assessment. Eflin threw Prado an 0-2 fastball high and inside for a ball in the first inning. The next three pitches were low and away before Eflin elevated a 95 mph fastball up in the zone that Prado grounded back to the mound for the inning’s second out.
The Phillies employed a similar tactic to Prado in the sixth. The first three pitches were fastballs down in the zone. Prado fouled off an 0-2 fastball up and in. He took another 94 mph fastball up and in for a ball. Prado then flied out to right field on the sixth pitch of the at-bat -- a 95 mph fastball down in the zone.
“Him being able to throw the fastball at the top of the zone has opened up a lot, especially to those righties,” Phillies catcher Andrew Knapp said. “We did that to Prado. You just go right back down away and it’s a four-foot difference in one pitch. It just changes the eye level and moves their head a little bit.”
Eflin's two previous complete games both came in July 2016. He is one of only six pitchers in baseball to have three complete games with no walks since 2016: Max Scherzer (four), Chris Sale (four), Rick Porcello (four), Ivan Nova (four) and Corey Kluber (three) are the others.
“It took me [three] years to do it again, but I felt good,” Eflin said. “I was pretty locked in and just had a pretty good connection with Knappy the whole time. [He] called a fantastic game, and really just following the game plan and executing, and kind of riding on the fastball. It was a lot of fun.”
Eflin could have had a shutout, except Phillies second baseman Cesar Hernandez cut off shortstop Jean Segura on a ball up the middle in the fourth. Hernandez had no throw to first to get Miguel Rojas, but Segura might have had a play.
The miscue allowed Prado to score.
“Just like hitters tend to go through slumps -- they go through seven, eight, 15 days where they’re just not seeing the ball that well,” Kapler said. “I think Cesar is struggling with something similar right now. He just doesn’t have his rhythm. He’s struggling through a tough time. It’s unfortunate, but we’re going to stick with him.”
Rhys Hoskins doubled to score a run in the first. Segura tripled to score a run in the third. Bryce Harper also knocked in a run on a groundout, giving him 20 RBIs this season. Hoskins (23 RBIs), Maikel Franco (22 RBIs) and Harper are the first trio in Phillies history to have 20 or more RBIs before May, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The offense allowed Eflin to be aggressive and cruise.
“It's pretty special,” Knapp said. “Especially with the way pitch counts are going, and guys are working counts and whatnot. I think this is my first one in the big leagues -- catching my first complete game. I wouldn't want to do it with any other guy. I've been catching Zach since Double-A, so we've got a pretty good rapport. It was fun today.”