Sep 8, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Seth Johnson (51) delivers a pitch against the Miami Marlins in the first inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images
A debut in the major leagues is supposed to be a memorable occasion. It's a goal you've worked your entire life to achieve. When the day finally comes, you try and get your family and closest friends to the game. It's an emotional high. Your phone blows up with texts and calls from every friend, coach and teammate you've ever had.
And amidst the whirlwind, you have to figure out a way to control those emotions enough to be able to go out there and perform on the biggest possible stage.
It doesn't always go well. A lot of times, the stage is too big, the lights are too bright, and the player wilts under the pressure of finally living out a childhood dream.
And then there's what happened to Seth Johnson on Sunday.
Johnson, one of the pitchers the Phillies acquired at the trade deadline in the Gregory Soto trade with Baltimore, took the mound at Loan Depot Park in Miami and from the first batter to the 18th he faced just 2 1/3 innings later, he lived out a dream - except this one was a nightmare.
Johnson allowed 11 of the 18 batters he faced to reach base. He gave up eight hits and three walks and was tagged with nine earned runs, as this game with the Marlins was over before halftime of the one p.m. NFL games. Miami won 10-1.
The marlins with Seth Johnson today:
Feel for the kid, clearly wasn't ready. https://t.co/zvRrAO0YoD pic.twitter.com/bgjUialrMs
The Phillies split the four-game series with the Marlins, an inexplicable outcome considering they had won six straight, including the first two of this series before getting clobbered in two straight games by one of the worst teams in the sport.
The good news for the Phillies is that the teams chasing them in the standings - the Brewers and Mets - also lost Sunday, so the Phillies lead in the N.L. East is still seven games. Their lead over Milwaukee for a bye in the N.L. playoffs remained at three games, and their magic number to clinch their first N.L. East title since 2011 actually was trimmed by one down to 13.
But that's all the good news for the day for a Phillies team that didn't register a hit until the sixth inning (a single by Brandon Marsh) and didn't score a run until the ninth inning (an RBI single by Bryce Harper.)
Johnson was the latest guy to get a look by the Phillies to fill the No. 5 spot that has been the bane of their existence for most of the season.
Spencer Turnbull gave them several strong starts at the beginning of the season, but ceded the spot back to Taijuan Walker, who missed the first part of the season with a knee injury. Walker was ineffective, and developed a blister, which allowed Turnbull to get another shot, but he injured his shoulder in June in Detroit and hasn't been seen since.
Tyler Phillips was a fun story for a few weeks, but he was the equivalent of a sugar rush and crashed back to earth. Hard. Kolby Allard had been serviceable while filling in for Ranger Suarez while he was on the I.L., but a soft-tossing lefty who can't give you length is not the most ideal option, and he was sent back to Triple-A when Suarez came back. Meanwhile, Walker was no better after coming off the I.L. - in fact, he was worse - and the Phillies demoted him to the bullpen.
Phillips was given another chance in Toronto last week and was clobbered. Johnson was given his chance Sunday, and it was even uglier.
Phillies fans: Nobody could be worse than Taijuan Walker!
Tyler Phillips and Seth Johnson: pic.twitter.com/Vm5TuPViZE
How the Phillies handle it from here will be interesting. Allard is eligible to be recalled on Friday. If the Phillies want to stick with a five-man rotation, the spot would come up again on Saturday. But that weekend series with the Mets could be a pretty big series for both teams, and since the Phillies have an off day on Thursday, they technically could skip the spot, but then it would come up the following week in Milwaukee, in what might arguably be a bigger series because the Phillies not only want a bye in the playoffs, but they need it.
Several players are hurt or playing through injuries. Edmundo Sosa was the latest guy to hit the injured list with back spasms. It was announced he would be out at least 10 days (retroactive to Saturday) prior to Sunday's game.
As such, the Phillies might prefer to have Allard pitch on Saturday against New York so that Suarez, Zack Wheeler and Nola can pitch the three games in Milwaukee.
Whichever path they choose, it seems like the Phillies missed a couple opportunities this weekend to really make those two series with the Mets and Brewers less relevant. Now, they'll have a little more meaning than the Phillies would have hoped.
The Phillis return home Monday for the start of a three-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays. LHP Cristopher Sanchez (10-9, 3.45) will throw for the Phillies while RHP Cole Sulser (0-0, 4.35) is slated to start a bullpen game for the Rays.
