Alex McFarlane didn’t just survive a tense extra-inning spot for the Phillies. He gave them a shot to win it.
In a 5-5 game in the 10th inning, with the ghost runner on second and the bullpen already working through a high-wire night, Don Mattingly turned to the rookie right-hander. It was only McFarlane’s fifth major league appearance, but the situation had been building all night. With Jonathan Bowlan unavailable, McFarlane read the signs and knew he might be next.
"I went out there and tried to stay as composed as possible," McFarlane said knowing his number was about to be called in the 10th. "Just preparing the situation over and over agin in my mind beforehand. I read the game and understood it was a possibility.”
The inning started with trouble. Blaze Jordan lined out, but José Fermín then punched an inside sinker at 99.6 mph into left field to score Alec Burleson and push the Cardinals in front, 6-5.
"That’s baseball man," McFarlane laughed. "You’re gonna get broken bats. Gotta keep putting the ball in the zone and keep pitching."
He did exactly that on the next batter. McFarlane stayed with the same pitch, and Everson Pereira hit a ball right back to him for a double play. McFarlane handled it cleanly, fired to Luis Arraez, and Arraez had all the time he needed to complete the play at first with Alec Bohm.
The rookie let it out after escaping the inning, and the Phillies were still alive.
"It gives the team a chance to win," McFarlane said. "Yeah I was fired up."
He never made it back to the dugout before Bohm finished the job. Bohm delivered a walk-off triple in the bottom of the 10th, and the Phillies walked off with a 7-6 win. McFarlane was right there in the celebration, part of the pile around the hero who had once helped him when he made a one-day appearance with the big club back in April.
Mattingly praised how McFarlane handled the moment, especially given the challenge of pitching late with traffic on the bases.
"It’s tough to keep them off the board there," Mattingly said. "If you’re gonna pitch late in game, you gotta be able to hold runners."
Through five appearances, McFarlane is 2-1 with a 1.69 ERA, with four strikeouts and three walks. The Phillies have called him up three times this season after he thrived as a reliever in Double-A Reading, then earned a longer look in July. He was recalled again on August 11, and this 11-day stay is his longest major league run so far.
The first call-up lasted a day. The second lasted three. This one has the feel of something more lasting, especially with a bullpen that could use his hard fastball and sinker in the stretch run.
"He seems to be handling it well," Mattingly said. "He's getting himself ready every day, and pretty much been available almost every day."
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