The Arizona Diamondbacks finally got their first win of the National League Championship Series against the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday.
It was a closely contested, 2-1 affair in which a Ketel Marte single in the bottom of the ninth was needed to walk things off.
Philadelphia is still in control of the best-of-seven matchup, but it’s now 2-1.
Going into Friday in a 0-3 hole would have been too much to overcome.
To win on Thursday, the D-Backs needed a good outing from rookie pitcher Brandon Pfaadt.
Fortunately for them, he was at the top of his game.
“Brandon Pfaadt is 1st pitcher in MLB history to have 0 runs and 0 walks in consecutive postseason starts,” ESPN Stats & Info tweeted.
Brandon Pfaadt is 1st pitcher in MLB history to have 0 runs and 0 walks in consecutive postseason starts. pic.twitter.com/POkCsdjsDT
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 19, 2023
For two straight starts, Pfaadt has delivered in the command and run-prevention departments.
On Thursday, he was in complete control, tossing 5.2 scoreless frames with just two hits allowed.
That was it: he didn’t surrender any walks or runs, and struck out nine hitters.
He was dominating the feared Phillies offense with ease, and was at just 70 pitches when he was removed in the sixth frame.
Theoretically, he could have gone longer, but manager Torey Lovullo was cautious of Pfaadt facing the Phillies order for a third time and he was justified in doing so.
The best development for Arizona is that they now have three trustworthy starters in Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, and Pfaadt.
The rookie righty took a while to get going (5.72 ERA in 96 frames during the regular season) but now looks like a legit postseason contributor.
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