Johnson’s first impression with the Phillies couldn’t have been much worse in the loss to the Marlins, originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
MIAMI – As Seth Johnson sat in his booth Sunday morning, mentally counting down the minutes until his Major League debut, a documentary about Hall of Fame right-handed pitcher Greg Maddux played on the television in the locker room of the visitors center at Depot Park.
A few hours later, as several family members, his fiancée and his agent sat expectantly in the stands, Johnson surrendered a home run to the second batter he faced, Marlins third baseman Connor Norby.
Cue the spooky organ music. When Maddux made his first major-league appearance in 1986—you guessed it—he gave up a home run to the second batter he faced, Houston’s Billy Hatcher.
That’s not a prediction, by any means, that Johnson will win 355 games in his career or ever have a plaque in Cooperstown. It’s just a gentle reminder not to be too quick to judge, especially for a rookie with just three career starts above Double-A on his resume.
That said, his chance to make a good first impression couldn’t have been much worse. He lasted 2.1 innings. He gave up 9 runs on eight hits and 3 walks. Six consecutive batters had reached base before Max Lazar finally came out of the bullpen with one out and a runner on second base.
Combine that with an offense that didn’t get its first hit until the sixth inning against Marlins starter Edward Cabrera and you have the makings of an ugly 10-1 loss.
It was the Phillies’ second straight loss to the last Miami, after winning six straight and 11 of 13. They still lead the Braves and Mets by seven games in the National League East with 19 games remaining. Their Magic Number is 13.
After coming out of the game, Rob Thomson had a candid conversation with the 25-year-old right-handed rookie in the dugout.
“I just told him he’s got good stuff,” the manager said. “Because he has. And he’s got to keep fighting. Everybody goes through these things, you know?”
Johnson said: “It meant a lot to me. It was really nice to hear those words of encouragement. I wish it had gone a little better. But it was a really cool experience. I was glad my family could be here and I’m grateful for the opportunity.
“There were a few nerves. I still have some things to work on.”
Thomson continued: “I just think he was in the strike zone. His stuff is OK. He might have been nervous with the first couple batters. And the other thing is we have to watch and see that he’s not (tipping his pitches). I felt sorry for him. He got behind a couple batters. You can pitch up, but you’re better off pitching up. And he didn’t get the ball there.
“It was his first start in the big leagues. I’m sure he’ll get another one at some point. He’ll pitch in the big leagues again.”
No final decision has been made, but the best guess is that it won’t be Saturday, the next time a fifth starter is needed. All indications point to left-hander Kolby Allard getting the ball that day against the Mets; Allard is eligible to be recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Tuesday.
Some of that speculation is based on Allard’s four-year tenure in the major leagues and some of it is based on the fact that the Phillies are closely monitoring the workload of Johnson, who underwent Tommy John surgery two seasons ago.
Even if Johnson had pitched better, it might not have changed the outcome. Cabrera, who was removed from his scheduled start Friday because of what were described as migraine-like symptoms, has been a real headache for the Phillies hitters.
Entering the game, he was 1-2 with a career earned run average of 4.70 against the Phils. On Sunday, he threw seven shutout innings, allowing just three hits and striking out six.
“He threw strikes,” Thomson said. “He’s going to be in trouble if he doesn’t throw strikes, but he came out ahead in this game.”
Bryce Harper said, “He threw me a 3-2 horizontal about 17 inches. I mean, that’s a full record. He was definitely tough.”
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