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One does not simply become a professional baseball player without having an inordinate chip on their shoulder, in addition to the never-ending thirst to improve one must possess. These were in full display for Philadelphia Phillies reliever Jose Alvarado, who wanted no part of their NLDS opponents Atlanta Braves' jawing on the opposing dugout during Game 1, which ended on a 7-6 Phillies victory.
Jose Alvarado entered the game in relief during the bottom of the eighth inning, tasked to protect a 7-3 lead against their 101-win NL East rivals. And he performed as well as one could have expected, pitching a three-up, three-down inning. But when he was on the mound, he was hearing jeers from a former teammate in Guillermo Heredia, of all people.
The 27-year old reliever felt irked for sure, but after an impressive inning's worth of work, he felt super confident in his ability and fired back against the lack of respect he perceived from the Braves.
“I said hey, [be quiet],” Alvarado said, per Alex Coffey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “Everybody thinks, I want to attack Alvarado, but right now, no one can change my mentality. Nobody. I’m focused. When we come into the game, I come to hit the target. I don’t care who is hitting. Strike one, strike two and good luck.”
According to Coffey, Jose Alvarado also plans on bringing up the issue with Heredia, whom he played with during the 2019 season with the Tampa Bay Rays, when their season ended on an ALDS loss to the Houston Astros.
Coffey wrote: “Alvarado said that the chirping he was hearing from the Braves' dugout was coming from Guillermo Heredia. He says Heredia needs to respect the game more and plans on talking to him about it tomorrow. He feels he deserves respect with how he has pitched over the past few months.”
Alvarado is more than justified in feeling this way, as he has been lights out since the All-Star break. In 24.1 innings pitched (26 appearances), he has put up a sterling 1.85 ERA and 40 strikeouts (against only six walks), turning into one of the most reliable arms in the Phillies bullpen.
In the aftermath of David Robertson's unfortunate injury, Jose Alvarado could even, perhaps, be given a bigger role especially after Zach Eflin almost squandered away a four-run lead in the ninth inning. One thing's for sure, Alvarado will continue to give the Phillies everything he's got, with the plucky Wild Card team needing only two wins to put the Braves away.
