In the midst of being shutout against one of the worst teams in baseball, an unlikely hero emerged in the Philadelphia Phillies lineup on Friday.
On a 1-1 count in the fifth inning, Phillies starting pitcher Vince Velasquez turned a 78-mph slider into a two-run blast that just stayed in fair territory and finally put his team on the scoreboard.
Velasquez has actually performed fairly well at the plate in his career given he is a pitcher. However, Friday’s two-run home run is the first in his pro baseball career.
Perhaps it will provide the spark Philadelphia’s bats need to wake up and put some more runs on the board. If the Phillies did pull off the comeback, it would be a very deserved win for Velasquez.