Phillies

Phillies Ambushed Zac Gallen, Diamondbacks by Hunting Fastballs

By Anthony SanFilippo

Published: Oct 17th, 2023 · 9:04 AM EDT

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Arizona manager Torey Lovullo sat down in the press room to face the media following Game 1, a loser for the first time this postseason. He had to give answers to questions he didn’t want to give.

It had been much easier to talk about his young team pulling upset after upset in the first five playoff games. It was far more enjoyable to talk about the coming of age and ascension of young stars like Corbin Carroll and Gabriel Moreno that we were all witnessing before our eyes.

It was far more enjoyable to discuss his scrappy group slaying the dragons that were the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers in the first two rounds of the playoffs to advance to their third NLCS in franchise history.

But it wasn’t going to be nearly as enticing to talk about this. To talk about the pitfalls that awaited his team in the jungle – as spiritual leader Nick Castellanos lovingly calls his adopted home. A jungle is a place where snakes usually thrive, just not here. Not where the mongooses are 45,000 strong, with an additional 26 that wield the most power.

When Lovullo was asked to talk about Game 1, and specifically his starting pitcher Zac Gallen, who, for much of the season was considered a Cy Young frontrunner, he started with the simplest of lines:

“They just ambushed him,” he said.

Short. To the point. And spot on.

Having grown up just across the Delaware River, having pitched in high school for Bishop Eustace, (Side note; At the Prep, we used to mockingly call it Bishop Useless… not that they were a rival, or anything. We just enjoyed expressing our perceived private school superiority.) Gallen should have been intimately aware of how things work in Philadelphia.

He heard the derisive boos from the minute he walked out to the bullpen for his pre-game warm-ups. The chants, later in the game, sing-songing his last name, reminding him constantly that they were there, and they would always be there after each and every pitch.

More importantly, he heard the thump and impending thunder that comes when wood barrels meet tightly stitched together leather at high rates of speed not once. Not twice. But three times.

Kyle Schwarber’s was on the first pitch of the game:

The Kyle Schwarber TANK with no announcers rules pic.twitter.com/sI2Ba1ZLUu

— Crossing Broad (@CrossingBroad) October 17, 2023

Bryce Harper’s was on the first pitch he saw:

Bryce Harper’s home run without announcers gives you an idea of how crazy Citizens Bank Park is in October 😯
[via @MLB]pic.twitter.com/fk2pgKUIYH

— Phillies Nation (@PhilliesNation) October 17, 2023

(Another side note: Harper said that the blowing out the 31 candles at home plate celebration was not premeditated and was something he came up with as he was rounding the bases. Clever, clever fella to be that spontaneously creative.)

And Castellanos, who has turned into the 21st Century Mr. October, buried the first fastball he saw:

NICK CASTELLANOS HAS HIT FIVE HOME RUNS IN THE LAST THREE GAMES pic.twitter.com/gSzMWzBvOg

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) October 17, 2023

(Side note number three: Castellanos is only the second player to ever hit five home runs in a span of three consecutive playoff games. The other? Reggie Jackson for the 1977 New York Yankees. His legendary status may have already been secured. OK, back to the Phillies vs. Gallen story…)

In fact, all three homers came on fastballs. Three homers on the first 12 fastballs Gallen threw in the game.

Ambush couldn’t describe it more perfectly.

“As hitters, we’re not looking to take hitter’s pitches,” Schwarber said. “We’ll give them some pitcher’s pitches, but we’re trying not to chase as well. The biggest thing is to try and get him in the zone.”

Oh they did. And that was the gameplan for Gallen. Hell, it would be the gameplan for any pitcher with this Phillies offense – don’t miss in the zone, or they’ll attack.

“We all come up with a plan,” Schwarber said. “Not everyone’s going to have the same plan, but everyone goes up there with a plan and looks to execute it.”

And the Phillies did. Quickly. Precisely. Without pause.

“He’s a strike thrower,” manager Rob Thomson said. “Being aggressive against him was kind of the plan. I’ve seen Zac Gallen better than that, if you will, but he’s still a good pitcher and I thought we had good at bats against him.”

Gallen has pitched better. Against the Phillies, in fact. Last time he pitched in the jungle was back on May 24th. The Phillies eventually won that game in extra innings, but Gallen was sharp. He went 5 2/3 innings allowing just two runs on five hits, none of which were home runs. But that was another lifetime ago. Back when it was still cool to wear the boobird label in Philadelphia. Back before Trea Turner was getting standing ovations and instead was being booed by everyone – including his mom.

That, however, was not Red October.