Thursday, June 10, 2021

Game 60 - Williams Walks It Off with First Big League Home Run!

2021 Chachi #51

Phillies 2
, Braves 1
Game 60 - Wednesday Night, June 9th in Philadelphia
Record - 29-31, 3rd Place, 4 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Rookie Luke Williams delivered his first major league home run in the form of a dramatic, walk-off shot to left to give the Phillies a 2-1 win.

What It Means:  Having gone to bed early in the middle of Tuesday night's game, I debated doing the same last night.  But my oldest son Doug and I stayed up, and we were treated to Williams' big hit and the jubilant celebration that followed.  It's easily one of the most memorable Phillies moments I've watched live in recent memory.

What Happened:  Zach Eflin (6 innings, 8 hits, 1 run) and Ranger Suarez (3 innings, 0 hits, 0 runs) combined to keep the Braves to a single run.  The Phillies defense used three double plays and a few stunning plays from shortstop Ronald Torreyes to keep the Braves from scoring more.  Before the bottom of the ninth, the Phillies had managed four hits, including an earlier double from Williams.  After a lead-off walk to Andrew McCutchen, Williams connected for his game-winning home run off Braves closer Will Smith.

Williams became the fourth Phillies player ever to hit a walk-off home run for his first career home run, joining John Peters (1921), Rick Joseph (1967) and David Foster (1996).  He's also the first Phillies player ever to hit a walk-off home run in his first big league start.

Featured Card:  This is already the fifth custom Highlight card for the 2021 season, which surpasses the complete Highlight card totals of most recent seasons.  Hopefully the number of memorable moments this season translates into a postseason berth and not just a more interesting video yearbook.

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