All Alex McFarlane knew, as he made the jog from the center field bullpen, was that he was due to face a lefty.
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As he’d warmed up for his major league debut on Wednesday, the 25-year-old hadn’t been paying close attention to where the Dodgers were in their order. The game was essentially out of reach already, with the Phillies trailing by five runs in the ninth inning. McFarlane had been more concerned with steadying his breathing, now that the moment he’d waited for had finally arrived.
But when he made it to the mound and realized who he’d be facing, McFarlane had to take a few more deep breaths.
“It turned out to be that lefty,” McFarlane said.
As in four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani. Any left-handed batter would be a challenging first at-bat for the rookie righty, but the two-way Dodgers superstar, with a .940 OPS against right-handers, was a different beast entirely.
“Try not to let the game speed up, slow everything down, and just try to get the ball over the plate, just like a normal hitter,” McFarlane said. “Obviously Ohtani’s Ohtani, but I’m just trying to get the ball over the plate. Trust my stuff.”
Ohtani has not had recent success at the plate against the Phillies. Citizens Bank Park remains one of two active major league ballparks he has yet to homer in during either the regular season or postseason. He was 1-for-12 against the Phillies this week, with that one hit being a single.
Ohtani had been aggressive early in counts all night Wednesday and he attacked McFarlane no differently, pouncing on a first-pitch 100.3 mph fastball that McFarlane dotted on the bottom inside corner of the strike zone. Ohtani hit it well, but it just stayed in the ballpark for a fly out, the first major league out of McFarlane’s career.
“It was a high fly ball, but had no idea what the result would be,” McFarlane said. “Just took it as it was. Didn’t think it was gonna get out, but first time on this field, you never know what the ball flight looks like.”
McFarlane had been called up from double-A Reading earlier in the week as a reinforcement for a Phillies bullpen that has been a revolving door of struggles and injuries. It marks his second stint with the Phillies, after previously being called up on April 24 and then being sent back the next day without appearing in a game.
This time, the Phillies wanted to see what he could do — if he could be a potential internal solution for a bullpen unit that has been searching for answers for most of the year.
His triple-digit fastball velocity and his slider have made McFarlane the Phillies’ No. 14 overall prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. In 35 innings in double A this year, he has a 2.06 ERA and 47 strikeouts.
Walks have been somewhat of an issue — he has a 12.7% walk rate — but in his outing on Wednesday, McFarlane was able to get the Dodgers to chase.
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Once Ohtani was retired, he still had the rest of the top of the Dodgers order to contend with. Andy Pages bit on a sinker below the zone to ground out.
“Really exciting to face those guys, especially my first debut. Get some good experience in there and take it on to the next outing,” McFarlane said.
Freddie Freeman singled on a fastball inside, but McFarlane rebounded with a groundout of Max Muncy to end the top of the ninth. He wasn’t even fazed by a mid-inning catcher change, as Rafael Marchán had to be taken out during Pages’ at-bat due to left knee pain, with J.T. Realmuto coming off the bench. Marchán was scheduled to undergo further imaging on Thursday.
“Tough spot for him, too,” said interim manager Don Mattingly. “He’s coming in at Ohtani and has to run through the lefties. Not something we want to do, but in that game, it felt like the right time to get him in and get him at least out on the mound one time.”
McFarlane had his mother and girlfriend in the stands to witness his debut. He doesn’t know how long he’ll remain in the majors, and if he’ll stay up long enough to get another opportunity.
But every chance he gets, McFarlane, who was born in St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, will take pride in representing his home on the biggest stage.
By walking to the mound on Wednesday, he officially became the 16th player from the Virgin Islands to make it to the major leagues. He has the words “VI STRONG” written on his left forearm as a reminder.
“Just understanding where I came from,” he said. “It’s a long journey, and extremely grateful for the opportunity to be here today to represent them.”
Phillies owner John Middleton spent months planning to host the city’s first All-Star Game in 30 years. Now that it’s over, he joined Phillies Extra, The Inquirer’s baseball podcast, to recap his most memorable moments from the week. He also discussed the upcoming trade deadline and Field of Dreams Game in Iowa, and the future of the top of the Phillies organizational masthead. Watch here. Watch here.
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Previous episodes: Ryan Howard | Dan Baker | Ricky Bottalico | Preston Mattingly | Caleb Cotham | Larry Bowa | Joe Maddon | Rhys Hoskins | Terry Francona
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