PHILADELPHIA — Carlos Ruiz took the mound Friday night to throw out the ceremonial first pitch kicking off Phillies alumni weekend not knowing who would squat behind the dish he once called his office.
After a beat, as the crowd of 41,067 fans looked around, the only logical choice emerged from the Phillies dugout.
“Clueless,” Ruiz said via a translator, of watching Brad Lidge emerge in red and white pinstripes. “And then it just came so fast, like, wait a minute, I’m supposed to be on the other side. Everything happened very fast, but it was incredible.”
The duo that ended arguably the most memorable moment in the first 20 years of Citizens Bank Park inaugurated the celebration to start its anniversary weekend, with roles poignantly reversed. And while Ruiz briefly contemplated spiking a slider into the one-time artisan of the breaking ball crouched behind the plate, instead it was a straight fastball, a hug and a rousing ovation as an appetizer for the Phillies annual serving of nostalgia.
“If he did want to bounce a slider, he has about a thousand that he owes me,” Lidge joked. “So he was kind to me.”
The battery that ended the 2008 World Series – Lidge converting his 48th save in 48 chances by getting the Rays’ Eric Hinske to swing over a slider to end Game 5 and join Ruiz in an immortal embrace on the mound – started an alumni weekend that promises to return a slew of members from that squad to a team dreaming of adding another world title. It will include Saturday’s Wall of Fame induction ceremony of late club president David Montgomery.
Ruiz, an All-Star catcher who spent his first 10.5 seasons in Philly, and Lidge kicked it off on a triumphant note, just after a national anthem sung by Philly’s John Oates. Ruiz had caught Lidge’s first pitch before Game 5 of the 2022 World Series, and reversing roles was a special thrill for the old batterymates.
“It’s an incredible honor,” Ruiz said. “When I received a call, it was just surreal. It’s been a great comeback to this great organization. I want to thank (owner) John Middleton and ownership for being here. So many different memories come back to me. Philadelphia is always going to be my second home, and it’s an incredible feeling to be here. So I appreciate it and I’m blessed to be here.”
Both players recognized the energy in the stadium and the city. For a team that has made back-to-back NLCS appearances and toted the best record in baseball for most of the year, hopes are high. So was the adrenaline Lidge brought to the Bank.
“I think anytime I step onto the field here and have the environment the way it is, it brings back a lot of memories, but it also just brings back the feeling of being out there,” he said. “I’ve been fortunate when I retired, John Middleton, everybody here is such a class act. Everybody’s done such a great job for myself and my family. I got to throw out the first pitch 10-plus years ago at this point. But of course, every time I get on the field and get to the mound, those feelings kind of come back. Even though you know you’re not actually performing, it still has the same feeling.”
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Austin Hays (hamstring) will hit in a simulated game on Saturday pitched by Ranger Suarez (back), the Phillies able to evaluate both of their injured starters.
Hays, manager Rob Thomson said, looked “between 80 and 90 percent” hitting in the cage and going through drills. He’s eligible to come off the IL on Sunday.
Suarez is slated to throw 80 pitches between the sim game and a bullpen. The Phillies aim to get him three or four up-downs, simulating innings breaks. It all goes well, Suarez could return for next week’s series in Kansas City.
Thomson, who celebrated his 61st birthday Friday, hopes this rest could help Suarez down the stretch. The lefty is 10-6 with a 2.87 ERA in 119.1 innings, but the time out with back soreness means he won’t zoom too far past his career-high innings total of 155.1 set in 2022.
“I think because of where his innings were going, I think this little break, this little rest, could really be good for him coming down the stretch,” Thomson said.
Source: Berkshire mont
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